Joe Rogan says he refuses to host Donald Trump on his podcast soon after saying Gov. Ron DeSantis would make a good president

Joe Rogan and Donald Trump — Podcaster Joe Rogan and former President Donald Trump.
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Podcast host Joe Rogan said he refuses to host ex-President Donald Trump on his show.
Just last week, Rogan said Trump nemesis Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would make a good president.
Rogan also called President Joe Biden a "dead man" in reference to his age.

Joe Rogan, the world's No. 1 most-listened-to podcaster, has hosted numerous controversial figures on his show.

But he draws the line at former President Donald Trump — someone he called an "existential threat to democracy itself."

"I am not a Trump supporter, in any way, shape or form," Rogan told Lex Fridman, a computer scientist and podcast host, on his show, "The Joe Rogan Experience," on Monday. "I have had the opportunity to have him on my show, more than once, and I have said no every time."

"I don't want to help him, I'm not interested in helping him," he added.

Rogan made the comments despite Trump defending him in February. The former president said at the time that Rogan shouldn't have to keep apologizing to his critics after a video montage of him using a racial slur went viral.

Rogan's latest comments also appear to stand in contrast to remarks he made in 2020, when he said he'd rather vote for Trump than Joe Biden. Rogan said this despite holding several politically liberal positions and having endorsed Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont for president.

Trump's post-presidential office didn't immediately respond to questions about the remarks or confirm the number of times Trump had asked to appear on "The Joe Rogan Experience."

On Monday, Rogan predicted Trump, 76, would run for the White House again. The former president keeps hinting that he will, but has yet to make any official announcements.

"He is going to run again, things are going to get weirder, he is running against a dead man," Rogan said, referring to Biden, who is 79.

"Did you see him on Jimmy Kimmel the other day? He was just rambling," Rogan said of Biden. "If he was anyone else, a Republican, if it was Donald Trump doing that, every fucking talk show would be screaming for him to be off the air."

Though Rogan has shunned Trump, he does have a favorite Republican. He said a week ago that he thought Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "would work as a good president."

DeSantis, 43, is increasingly seen as one of the biggest threats to Trump becoming the GOP nominee for president in 2024. The governor is up for reelection in Florida in November, and hasn't said one way or another whether he sees the White House in his future.

Rogan drew his red line about Trump during a broader conversation about the divisive state of US politics. He said the Trump era would be "one of the weirder times when people look back historically about the division in this country."

Fridman predicted that Rogan would change his mind about hosting Trump, saying that Rogan tended to host controversial figures, such as rapper Kanye West.

But Rogan drew a distinction, saying that West was "an artist" and that him "doing well or not doing well doesn't change the course of our country."

"Do you really bear the responsibility of the course of our country based on a conversation?" Fridman asked.

Rogan replied: "I think you can revitalize and rehabilitate someone's image in a way that is pretty shocking."

Fridman urged Rogan to change his mind, saying he thought Rogan could compel Trump to open up.

But Rogan pointed out that Trump didn't do drugs — which he said helps some of his other podcast guests open up during their conversations — and said he'd need to do significant research to prepare to interview Trump.

"I don't think he would genuinely be there," Rogan said. "I think he would be putting on a performance."