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Podcaster Joe Rogan has promptly walked back what many listeners took to be an endorsement of independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.
He made the comments on Thursday's episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, explaining that he believed Kennedy's political inexperience made him less likely to lie to voters.
“They do it on the left, they do it on the right,” Rogan said. “They gaslight you, they manipulate you, they promote narratives — and the only one who is not doing that is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”
Rogan, who views Kennedy as a "legitimate guy”, said that he might back the vaccine conspiracy theorist but doubted his chances in the general election. Trump loyalists turned on Rogan immediately.
"So - I’ve never been a Joe Rogan fan - can’t stand him - yes he has a popular podcast, but I’ve always thought he was absolutely politically dumb - he’s great at figuring things out 2 years after we do," prolific MAGA tweeter and Elon Musk fan "Catturd" wrote on X. "What a legend. So did it surprise me when he endorsed idiot RFK jr today? LOL! No."
He said he believed Rogan was "dumb as dirt," and the "podcast equivalent of a dumb blonde joke."
Another MAGA X account, Johnny Maga, said Rogan will be remembered as a "guy who had a real opportunity to make a meaningful impact and squandered it."
"Sad," he wrote.
But it wasn't all bad news for Rogan, as RFK Jr seemed pleased at the kind words.
“From one ‘legitimate’ guy to another, thank you @JoeRogan for always putting substance first," Kennedy wrote on X.
However after a day of backlash from MAGA boosters, Rogan walked back his apparent endorsement on the social media platform.
"For the record, this isn’t an endorsement. This is me saying that I like RFKjr as a person, and I really appreciate the way he discusses things with civility and intelligence," Rogan wrote. "I think we could use more of that in this world."
Rogan added that "Trump raising his fist and saying 'fight!' after getting shot is one of the most American f****** things of all time”. But the podcaster did not say how he would vote come November.
Yet despite his kind words for Trump, the former president turned on Rogan in a Truth Social post on Friday.
“It will be interesting to see how loudly Joe Rogan gets BOOED the next time he enters the UFC Ring??? MAGA2024,” Trump wrote.
Tim Pool, the right-wing podcaster who once suggested that under the Second Amendment Americans should be allowed to own nukes, faced similar MAGA backlash to Rogan when he said this week that he was "voting for RFK Jr now”.
MAGA follower, Catturd, lumped Pool into a group he called "losers" who "switch candidates every time the wind blows."
"They'll say whatever gets them their next million dollars and more attention to their gigantic egos," he wrote.
Pool then also walked back his apparent endorsement on Friday, playing off his tweet as a joke.
"Oof, I really stepped in it this time hahaha," he wrote on X. "Holy crap I'm voting for Trump wtf."
He later called “MAGA die hards” criticising Rogan the “cringiest thing.”
It's not all bad news for RFK Jr, though. Russell Brand, a British comedian who dabbles in vaccine skepticism and right-wing talking points, offered his endorsement on Friday. But Brand noted in a video clip that he is not eligible to vote in the US election.
A few former MAGA darlings have also been backing away from Trump. Right-wing commentator Nick Fuentes has apparently defected from Trump, declaring a “Groyper war” — groyper being a term he uses to describe his fans — against the former president’s campaign.
“Tonight I declared a new Groyper War against the Trump campaign. We support Trump, but his campaign has been hijacked by the same consultants, lobbyists, & donors that he defeated in 2016, and they’re blowing it,” Fuentes wrote on X. “Without serious changes we are headed for a catastrophic loss.”
Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two protesters during a racial justice protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin and became a beloved figure on the right, also tried to distance himself from the Trump campaign.
Last Friday, Rittenhouse posted on social media that he was no longer backing Trump due to the former president’s “advisers,” saying “unfortunately, Donald Trump has bad advisers, making him bad on the Second Amendment.”
Rittenhouse said he planned to write in former Libertarian candidate Ron Paul on his 2024 ballot, which sparked MAGA fury online.
Later in the day, he folded to the pressure, writing that over the previous 12 hours he had “productive conversations” with Trump’s team, who he said restored his confidence in the former president’s willingness to protect gun rights.
“My comments made last night were ill-informed and unproductive. I’m 100% behind Donald Trump and encourage every gun owner to join me in helping send him back to the White House,” he wrote.
