oe Rogan revealed Tuesday what President Donald Trump actually whispered to him at an Ultimate Fighting Championship match in early April. The press had framed the interaction at UFC 327 in Miami as tense after Rogan criticized the war in Iran. Media speculation ran wild over whether the President scolded the popular podcast host.
Rogan cleared the air on The Joe Rogan Experience to confirm it was actually a friendly conversation. He said they discussed the psychoactive drug ibogaine and how it helps veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Comedian Luis J. Gomez asked Rogan about the rumors during the podcast episode.
"The other thing, the big conspiracy theory, is that Trump is mad at you and he came up to you at the UFC and he was talking shit to you," Gomez said. "No, it’s the opposite," Rogan answered. "It was literally the opposite."
Rogan explained that he texted the President on Friday regarding ibogaine and its benefits for opiate addictions. He said Trump ran into him at the fight the next day with positive news. The President told Rogan that the drug was receiving approval from the Food and Drug Administration for easier access.
"And so literally, he sees me at the UFC the next day shakes my hand and says it’s done. That’s what he was saying. I was like I said, thank you, sir It wasn’t like he was mad at me at all," Rogan said.
"He came to me and he said, ‘it’s done. We’re gonna take care of this. This is a good thing. It’s a good thing for the soldiers, good thing for everybody.’ And then he had the press conference the next week," Rogan added.
Trump signed an executive order on Saturday titled Accelerating Medical Treatments For Serious Mental Illnesses. The order allows expedited reviews of psychedelic drugs for medical purposes. It seeks to address serious mental illness rates in America by allowing psychedelics like ibogaine to be researched.
Rogan attended the signing in the Oval Office and spoke about the medical benefits. "In 2024, more than 80,000 people died of overdoses, it’s a horrible number," Rogan said. "And there’s more than 5 million people that are addicted to opioids right now in this country."
"With one dose of ibogaine, more than 80% of people are free of that addiction. With two doses, it’s more than 90%," Rogan stated.
The podcaster has been highly critical of the ongoing military operations in Iran. He stated in March that the war was insane and argued that Trump’s base voted for him to avoid new conflicts. "Most people that voted for Trump or wanted Trump to be in office, one of the things that was attractive was this: No more wars," Rogan said. "Now we’re in one of the craziest ones."