Joe Rogan is furious with Donald Trump, and he is making it known. The hugely popular podcaster, whose audience consists of millions of loyal listeners, feels betrayed by a president he controversially endorsed in the final hours of the 2024 election.
Rogan is no longer hiding his anger. During the latest episode of The Joe Rogan Experience on July 15, he spent a significant portion of the show condemning the leadership at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI, accusing them of dishonesty regarding the Jeffrey Epstein case. For Rogan, who often describes himself as having been raised by hippie parents and being a lifelong liberal voter until last year, this confirms his suspicion that Trump is no different from the powerful figures he vowed to oppose.
The podcaster’s frustration centers on conflicting statements from top administration officials. He specifically called out Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. During an appearance on Rogan’s podcast on June 5, Patel told him that no “Epstein list” or collection of tapes involving the deceased sex offender existed. “I’ve been putting out the truth my entire career,” Patel asserted at the time. “Why would I risk all of it on this guy?”
This claim now stands in stark contrast to previous statements from Bondi and even Patel himself. Rogan, armed with this contradiction, has taken to his podcast and social media to voice his distrust.
“Where are the Epstein files? Can’t find them, don’t exist. They can get away with anything, man,” a visibly angry Rogan stated during his conversation with fellow podcaster Danny Jones.
This sentiment is a dramatic reversal from the hope Rogan and his listeners felt following Trump’s campaign promises to expose the powerful individuals connected to Epstein. “They were telling us the video is going to come out, incredibly high profile people doing horrible things, evil things,” Rogan reminded his guest, referencing Trump’s vow to the MAGA base that he would make the files public. “People are going to go to jail, people are going to be shocked.”
His next words were filled with contempt: “Where? Right, nothing!”
The right-wing base has exploded in recent days after the administration’s promises to expose the powerful figures in Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit collapsed into a series of contradictions and walk-backs. For years, the core of Trump’s appeal was his vow to dismantle the “deep state” and hold corrupt elites accountable, with the Epstein case serving as the ultimate symbol of that fight. Now, many of his most ardent supporters feel they have been deceived by the very people they trusted to deliver the truth, with some prominent conservative voices even calling for the resignation of top officials.
This turmoil reached a fever pitch after the Justice Department and FBI released a joint memo stating that no “client list” existed and the case was effectively closed. The announcement was a stunning reversal from earlier teases by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who had claimed in February that a list was “sitting on my desk” and later spoke of “tens of thousands of videos.” The whiplash has fueled a sense of profound betrayal among the MAGA faithful, who now see the administration as part of the cover up they expected it to expose.
For Rogan, the administration’s handling of the Epstein files demonstrates that the powerful protect one another, regardless of political affiliation. In his view, the public is being treated as pawns in a larger game.
Later in the podcast, Rogan and Jones revisited the topic, with Rogan expressing his firm belief that a hard drive of incriminating evidence is being concealed. He pointed to public statements made by Attorney General Pam Bondi as proof of a cover up.
Rogan proceeded to read from an article quoting Bondi’s statements from earlier this year, in which she claimed the DOJ was reviewing “tens of thousands of videos” showing the wealthy financier with children or child pornography.
“Didn’t Pam Bondi say that?” Rogan asked, becoming more animated. “She said something about there being thousands of hours of tapes of people doing horrible crimes.”
“Yeah, she said it literally, I thought a week before you had the FBI director sitting here telling you there was nothing,” Jones responded.
“Kash Patel said there’s nothing?” Rogan repeated, before letting out a sarcastic laugh, making his disbelief in the official story clear. “What am I going to do? I’m going to push back. Obviously, he’s just saying what he has to say.”
Rogan then cynically suggested that the recent U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites was a calculated distraction. “Or just bomb Iran. Everybody forgets. Just bomb Iran. Yeah, everybody forgets about it,” he said, implying the military action was designed to shift public focus away from the Epstein scandal.
Jones declared, “There’s got to be a fucking hard drive,” to which Rogan replied without hesitation, “There’s got to be.”
The divorce between Rogan and Trump now seems complete. The podcaster, who once lent his massive platform to support the “America First” agenda, now sounds utterly disillusioned, suggesting he may never trust a politician’s word again. His recent X (formerly Twitter) posts have further amplified these conspiracy theories, ensuring that the controversy, and the pressure on the Trump administration, will continue to grow.
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
