...
By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Podcaster Joe Rogan tied two of President Donald Trump's most contentious issues together Wednesday, suggesting the war in Iran was a way to distract from the handling of the Epstein files.
Speaking to comedian Arsenio Hall about those seeking to manage political optics and control the narrative, Rogan and his guest agreed that at least one person should be prosecuted over the revelations in the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice in recent months.
Rogan said that while Trump was threatening to prosecute journalists publishing information on the Iran war, no one was being charged over the Epstein files. Hall said this was a classic distraction tactic.
Read More on U.S.
"Look, the Epstein Files comes out. We go to war with Iran," Rogan said on the Joe Rogan Experience. "It's, it's a good way to get people to stop talking about certain things."
Why It Matters
Rogan, among the world's podcasters with the most listeners, has largely shown support for Trump, but he has also not been afraid to criticize him or his MAGA movement.
The Iran war has divided the president's supporters, with some who have subscribed to his "America first" agenda being vocal in their opposition to starting a new conflict in the Middle East. Something similar could be said about the Epstein files, with Trump and his former Attorney General Pam Bondi having promised transparency before being perceived as attempting to backtrack.
...
What To Know
Rogan drew parallels with President Bill Clinton and the scandal involving Monica Lewinsky, saying that when those claims about their relations broke, the president then started bombing Iraq in 1998.
"'We've got to distract these people, this is just too complicated'," Rogan said, speculating what was said in the White House.
A poll carried out by left-leaning Drop Site/Zeteo/Data For Progress, published March 11, showed a 52-40 majority of voters felt the Iran war was at least in part a distraction from the Epstein files issue. Democrats were more likely to believe that viewpoint in the survey of 1,272 likely voters.
The criticism of the current administration on its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case is not new for Rogan.
When reading an FBI report on the files in February, Rogan accused the bureau of gaslighting the public by claiming there was little evidence the late financier ran a sex-trafficking ring. He has also accused the Trump administration of using other issues to distract from the files, including the shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January.
The Trump administration has sought to move away from the Epstein files. After initially missing a deadline set by Congress to release files in December, the Department of Justice has said it has made all the documents it can available for viewing. Lawmakers still subpoenaed Bondi to testify over her leadership on the issue, but after she was fired by Trump last week, the DOJ said she no longer needed to appear.
On the Middle East, Trump is facing tough criticism from Rogan and others who were longtime supporters of his, all while he and other White House officials have maintained that the U.S. intervention in Iran is necessary.
What People Are Saying
Matt Klink, a veteran GOP strategist, told Newsweek previously: "President Trump and the GOP's problems are more significant than messaging. The GOP faces the momentum that all midterm politicians face—particularly in second presidential terms. Couple that with incredibly tight minorities in both the House and Senate, and you have the makings of a dissatisfied electorate."
Ann Olivarius, an attorney working with sexual abuse survivors, told The Guardian March 16: "The public and the media remain interested in Epstein and what Trump did with him, and what Trump is now doing to cover it up."
President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social: "It was agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary—NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE. In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest. AMERICA IS BACK!"
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines