Podcaster Joe Rogan has said he is drawing a “line in the sand” with President Donald Trump over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Newsweek has contacted a representative for Rogan for comment via email outside regular working hours.
Why It Matters
Rogan, who endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election and later attended his inauguration, has recently joined the cacophony of angry voices speaking out against the administration’s handling of records from the investigation into Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting further sex trafficking charges.
The disgraced financier had well-documented connections to powerful figures, and his death has long prompted numerous conspiracy theories. While Trump has characterized the uproar over the Epstein files as a “scam” and “hoax,” many of his supporters continue to call on the administration to release the documents.
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What To Know
“This is a line in the sand,” Rogan told guest Mike Baker, a former CIA officer, on a recent episode of his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
The host continued: “We thought Trump was going to come in and a lot of things are going to be resolved. We’re going to drain the swamp. We’re going to figure everything out.”
“You have this one hardcore line in the sand that everybody has been talking about forever, and then they’re trying to gaslight you on that,” Rogan said.
The conversation began with Rogan discussing the “chaos” in politics and praising a recent South Park episode that ridiculed the president.
Rogan addressed the Epstein backlash at the beginning of the episode, saying, “The Epstein thing is so crazy. Like, and him saying, ‘What do you care? Why does everyone care about Epstein?'”
At a Cabinet meeting earlier this month, Trump asked a reporter, “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy’s been talked about for years. … And are people still talking about this guy, this creep?” The president’s comments sparked criticism from his base.
Rogan and Baker discussed the fallout over the Epstein files in depth, with Baker saying, “Just release everything.” He added: “The mob wants to eat right? And they’ve been throwing red meat to the mob about Epstein files now for years.”
“It’s part of how he got elected,” Rogan added.
On July 6, the Justice Department and FBI released a two-page memo that said, “As part of our commitment to transparency, the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have conducted an exhaustive review of investigative holdings relating to Jeffrey Epstein.”
The agencies said they would not release any more information related to the case as “no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.” They added that the review found no incriminating list of clients who had participated in Epstein’s trafficking of girls.
On the campaign trail in 2024, Trump had suggested he would release Epstein’s client list if returned to office.
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi further fueled speculation about the existence of such a list when she said it was sitting on her desk for review. Earlier this month, Bondi said she meant the files related to the case, not a list of names.
Baker told Rogan that he believed the controversy over the administration’s handling of the Epstein files was unlikely to go away soon.
He said: “They’ve called the recess on Capitol Hill because they figure by the time they come back in September, everybody will have moved on from this, right? I think they’re wrong.”
What People Are Saying
The FBI and Department of Justice said in a memo released earlier this month: “While we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein and ensured examination of any evidence in the government’s possession, it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.”
What Happens Next
The Trump administration is likely to continue facing pressure over the Epstein case. Last week, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for assisting Epstein in the sexual abuse of children.
Blanche has vowed to release information about what he learned during his interview with Maxwell at an “appropriate time.” Maxwell continues to appeal her sentence.
