Joe Rogan voiced his support for “the deep state” – a conspiracy theory peddled by Donald Trump and his followers that refers to a secret network of career politicians and federal agents – on a Saturday episode of his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
In an interview with former CIA officer Mike Baker, Rogan made his case. “One of the things that the tinfoil-hat brigade likes to talk about is the deep state,” he said.
“They always like to talk about the deep state. What I was saying is, what if we didn’t have a deep state?” he continued. “Do you know how f–ed we would be if we didn’t have career politicians and career intelligence agencies? People who are there for a long period of time who do understand it.”
Rogan argued that President Joe Biden exemplifies the need for a government staffed by several experienced civil servants.
“Listen, I’ve disrespected Joe Biden enough, I don’t think I should do it anymore,” he stated. “I’ve said enough about him being mentally incompetent. He’s just compromised, he’s an old guy. We know, everyone knows, the guy is falling apart.”
If Biden was the sole person in charge, Rogan said, his administration would become a dictatorship.
“But imagine if he really was the only say in how things run, and how things go? If he really was a dictator,” he proposed. “We would be beyond f–ed!”
This is not the first time that the controversial comic-turned-podcaster has promoted conspiracy theories regarding the deep state. In a podcast episode from November 2021, he defended former president Trump, saying, “Look, Trump’s not a perfect guy, but this thing he kept saying about the deep state is 100% real!”
Later in the clip, he said, “They were not spending their time trying to make the government work more efficiently and make the country a better place for everyone and prop up the middle class. No. They were trying to regain power, and they got it, with a dead man [Joe Biden].”
Earlier this year, Rogan came under fire for promoting ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 and making other unfounded claims about the vaccine on his podcast. That, along with his use of the N-word in several episodes, fueled a saga that saw many notable artists leave Spotify. Last year, he signed a licensing deal with the streaming giant that is estimated to be worth at least $100 million.
