Joe Rogan has revealed why he was happy to host Donald Trump on his podcast - despite previous comments against “helping” the former president.
On Friday, The Joe Rogan Experience shared its near three-hour conversation between the titular host and the 78-year-old Republican presidential nominee.
In less than 24 hours, the episode has already been hugely successful, making headlines on various news sites and amassing more than 14 million views.
However, fans of Rogan may have been slightly surprised to see the former (and potentially future) POTUS on the show, given the podcast host’s previous comments about Trump.
Back in 2022, Rogan revealed on the Lex Fridman Podcast: "I am not a Trump supporter in any way shape or form."
He then revealed that Trump's team had previously reached out to Rogan for an interview, to which, Rogan said: “I’ve had the opportunity to have him on my show more than once, I’ve said ‘no’ every time.
"I don’t want to help him. I’m not interested in helping him."
But, as we've seen, opinions have clearly changed. So, why did Rogan finally agree to interview Trump on his podcast? Well, it appears that it's all down to the alarming attempt on Trump's life back in July.
During the now infamous rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump was wounded in the ear after 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a rooftop 130 yards away.
As well as Trump being injured and bundled to the ground by Secret Service personnel, two audience members were injured and another tragically killed. Crooks was fatally shot by a Secret Service agent.
During the podcast, Rogan made a reference to Trump’s interview with comedian Theo Von on his podcast back in August, which was followed by running mate J.D. Vance’s appearance on the same show.
This caused Trump to ask with a smile: "Is that why you called me to do this?"
However, Rogan quickly replied: "No", before sharing that he was eager to interview Trump following the July 13 shooting.
"Once they shot you I was like ‘he’s gotta come in here,'" Rogan said. "It’s all about timing, it’s all about the timing. I think the timing is perfect."
During their conversation about their assassination attempt, Rogan asked Trump about the injury to his ear, with the former POTUS happy to show the host his scar.
Rogan asked: "Do you even have a scar on your ear?"
"I do," Trump said.
"Let me see," the host responded.
Trump then turned his head and showed Rogan his injury, to which the host said: "Oh, it's a tiny little mark."
Explaining his injury in more detail, Trump said: "It zicked right there - "
"-It healed up pretty f***ing good," Rogan interjected.
"It’s not like some of the wrestlers, some of the UFC fighters... it was sort of like a top shot. The thing’s taken off a little bit," Trump explained, referring to cauliflower ear fighters sometimes develop.
Trump admitted that the incident made him a "tougher man", and told Rogan: "I do things that don’t necessarily make me so popular. I just do what’s right."
"I understand what I’m doing. You make yourself a target, and it’s a very dangerous business. I never thought of that when I did it," he added.
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