Joe Rogan claims Trump started the war in Iran to distract Americans from the Epstein files
Joe Rogan said on the Wednesday episode of his popular podcast that he thinks President Donald Trump may have started the war in Iran to distract the U.S. public from the Epstein files.
During the episode, Rogan’s guest, Arsenio Hall, claimed that “misdirection” is “the story of American politics.”
Rogan agreed with Hall and argued that former President Bill Clinton started “bombing some other countries” — a reference to the 1999 bombing of then-Yugoslavia — to distract Americans from the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
The podcast host then claimed the U.S. war in Iran was the latest example of politicians using war to distract from domestic issues.
“Look, the Epstein files comes out — we go to war with Iran. It’s a good way to get people to stop talking about certain things,” Rogan said.
“You give them a new problem to think about.”
Trump was referenced numerous times throughout the Epstein files, and his former friendship with the disgraced financier and accused child sex trafficker is public record.
The president has not been accused of or charged with any crimes relating to Epstein and has insisted that he broke off his friendship with the sex offender long before Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution, including from a minor.
Rogan endorsed Trump in 2024, but his opinion of the president has degraded rapidly since the war in Iran began.
The podcaster has criticized Trump’s “Operation Epic Fury” in Iran, warning that it could drag the globe into World War III. He also questioned Trump’s age, fearing the 79-year-old may act recklessly because he “doesn’t have much to lose.”
“That’s spooky. That’s spooky. You’re making decisions for babies and children and the future of the world, and you’ve only got 10, maybe 10 years left on Earth if everything goes great,” Rogan said during his March 11 podcast.
During the same episode, Rogan said Trump’s supporters felt “betrayed” by his decision to go to war.
“I mean, this is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right? He ran on ‘no more wars,’ ‘end these stupid, senseless wars,’ and then we have one that we can’t even really clearly define why we did it,” Rogan said.
While Rogan and more moderate Republicans may have felt betrayed by Trump’s attack on Iran, polling had shown that the president’s MAGA base overwhelmingly support his decision.
