He hasn’t said it outright yet, but Joe Rogan appears to be inching away from Donald Trump, the candidate he endorsed for the 2024 presidential election. Week after week, the wildly popular podcaster has grown increasingly critical of Trump’s policies.
Just days ago, Rogan blasted Trump’s immigration crackdown, specifically the mass deportations and raids carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Rogan even admitted he felt misled by candidate Trump, who he believed would only target criminals. But, as he put it, the reality has been far more disturbing.
“We were told there would be…,” Rogan began during the July 2 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, before recalibrating. “There’s two things that are insane. One is the targeting of migrant workers, not cartel members, not gang members, not drug dealers, just construction workers showing up at construction sites, raiding them. Gardeners. Like, really?”
Now, Rogan has taken aim at a different political fault line, one that cuts straight through the heart of the MAGA movement: the long-simmering scandal of Jeffrey Epstein.
He did it with a single post on X (formerly Twitter), the platform owned by Elon Musk, who has become one of Trump’s loudest critics in recent weeks. Notably, Rogan rarely posts on social media. Since July began, he’s only posted twice, once to promote a show, and once to post this: “Shout out to all the people that still don’t believe in conspiracies. Your ability to stick to your guns is inspiring,” Rogan wrote on July 8.
It was classic Rogan: sarcastic, ambiguous, and surgically timed to land in the middle of a political firestorm. That firestorm, of course, is the Epstein files and a public, bitter feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Shout out to all the people that still don’t believe in conspiracies. Your ability to stick to your guns is inspiring.
— Joe Rogan (@joerogan) July 8, 2025
The Epstein Cover-Up Accusations
For years, conspiracy theories have swirled around Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019. Many, especially on the right, believe Epstein was murdered and that his so-called “client list” of powerful men is being suppressed by the government to protect elites.
In the past few weeks, those theories have been reignited. The Department of Justice and the FBI released a memo stating that Epstein died by suicide and that no evidence of a “client list” or blackmail material was ever found. The conclusion was meant to shut the door on speculation, but it only made the outrage worse.
MAGA influencers, conspiracy theorists, and even some mainstream conservatives immediately accused the DOJ and the Trump administration of a cover-up. Yes, Trump’s own camp is now being blamed for protecting the very elite pedophile network he once vowed to expose.
Elon Musk added fuel to the fire last month when he publicly hinted—then walked back—that Trump might be hiding Epstein-related secrets. Musk later deleted the post and admitted he “went too far,” but the damage was done.
“How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?” Musk asked on July 8. When pressed about whether releasing the files would be a top priority for his newly formed America Party, Musk responded with a “💯” emoji.
How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 8, 2025
Trump, for his part, has refused to engage meaningfully. Asked at a press conference about Epstein, he snapped: “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy’s been talked about for years,” the President said during a Cabinet meeting on July 8. “Do you want to waste the time?”
The evasiveness only deepened suspicions and split Trump’s base.
Rogan’s Cryptic Post Hits Hard
That’s the context for Rogan’s July 8 post.
He didn’t mention Epstein. He didn’t mention Trump. But he didn’t have to. Everyone knew what he meant. “Shout out to all the people that still don’t believe in conspiracies…” The sarcasm drips off the screen. Rogan is mocking those who continue to dismiss government cover-up theories as fringe paranoia, calling them out for sticking to their disbelief, even as new evidence piles up.
His “your ability to stick to your guns is inspiring” is a pointed jab at those clinging to the idea that there’s nothing to see here. It’s a wink to his core audience, those who’ve long believed the elites hide the truth in plain sight. After Epstein, after Musk’s claims, after Trump’s dodging, it’s hard to dismiss conspiracy anymore, the podcaster seems to say.
Rogan is helping normalize the idea that real conspiracies aren’t fringe. They’re mainstream. And they’re playing out in real time, in front of us. He’s also helping to fracture MAGA from within. Trump’s refusal to address Epstein and now Rogan’s subtle attacks are forcing a new reckoning among the very voters who helped elect him.
The Stakes
Joe Rogan may not be a politician, but he’s one of the most influential voices in modern media. He speaks directly to millions of working-class men, many of whom distrust government, the media, and institutions. His quiet rebellion against Trump could signal something bigger: a major cultural shift in how conspiracy, trust, and power are discussed on the American right.
For years, Trump has been the vessel for populist rage. But now Rogan might be steering that rage somewhere else.
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