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By Peter Aitken
Politics Weekend Editor
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Podcaster Joe Rogan, in a new episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, once again laid into President Donald Trump's war in Iran, calling it "f***ing terrifying" and questioning if there was any long-term plan.
"You're shooting missiles into towns and blowing things up, blowing up infrastructure, blowing up bridges, you know?" Rogan said in a discussion with his guest, comedian and actor David Cross. "And Israel's blowing up Lebanon now. It's like, what the f*** are we doing? Like, how is this still going on?"
Newsweek reached out to the White House by email on Thursday afternoon for comment.
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Why It Matters
Rogan hosted Trump on his podcast during the 2024 campaign and endorsed him just before Election Day, later downplaying claims of closeness by saying they mainly interacted briefly at UFC events and did not share a personal relationship.
After Trump returned to office, Rogan maintained access and cordiality, including a high‑profile greeting at a UFC fight that went viral, even as his commentary grew more critical. The moment highlighted how Rogan’s role has shifted from amplifier during the campaign to a prominent voice willing to challenge Trump from outside the political system.
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What To Know
Rogan’s break from Trump has been most pronounced over the war in Iran, which he has condemned in unusually blunt terms on his podcast. He has described the decision to go to war as confusing and dangerous, warning that it contradicts Trump’s past promises to avoid foreign conflicts and risks drawing the United States into a far wider confrontation.
"Most people that voted for Trump or wanted Trump to be in office, one of the things that was attractive was this no more wars," Rogan said in the new episode. "Now we're in one of craziest ones."
"Everybody that goes into space has this experience called the overview effect, where they go out there and one of the first things is they go, oh my god, what are we doing?" Rogan said later in the episode. "How are we pretending at these lines in the dirt that we draw? It's all just a bunch of people on this very fragile biological spaceship."
"It's f***ing terrifying, but, like, all things in the future—all of it's terrifying. The whole future of mankind—it's so perilous. It's all so fragile," Rogan added.
"If there was ever a time to just be a good person, live your life, enjoy and, try to spread some kindness and some joy—I mean, it's now!" Cross said.
Rogan and Cross addressed some of the more complicated issues—and unconfirmed reports—about the war, such as claims that Russia has provided Iran with intelligence, all of which Trump has previously dismissed.
"Russia is giving Iran information about where our troops are ... it's crazy, and scary too," Cross said as Rogan chimed in with "Fun! Super fun."
They also discussed new technology making its way to the frontlines of both the Russia-Ukraine war and the Iran war, such as the "quantum heartbeat detector" that the U.S. said it used to locate the missing pilot who crashed in Iran. They diverted from the topic after briefly reviewing an article on Science.org called "Did quantum sensors help find a U.S. pilot shot down in Iran? Experts doubt it."
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Who Is David Cross?
Cross is perhaps best known for the role of Tobias Fünke in Arrested Development and the HBO sketch comedy Mr. Show with Bob and David alongside Bob Odenkirk. He also wrote for The Ben Stiller Show, for which he received an Emmy award.
Cross has an extensive stand-up career, with his most recent show, The End of the Beginning of the End, released on YouTube on April 7. He appeared on Rogan's podcast to promote the show.
He has been married to Amber Tamblyn of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fame since 2012, and the couple has a daughter.
Iran War Vote: How Did the House Vote?
The House of Representatives on Thursday voted again on a war powers vote, yet again voting against the measure, but by only one vote of 214-213. Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine voted with Republicans against the measure, while Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican, crossed the aisle to support the measure.
Golden said that supporting the measure would "weaken our hand" in negotiations with Iran, which the U.S. needs to "maintain a strong negotiating position."
Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio, a Republican, voted "present," while three Democrats who had voted against last month's war powers resolution—Juan Vargas of California, Greg Landsman of Ohio, and Henry Cuellar of Texas—switched sides and voted for the measure.
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