Joe Rogan joins Trump at Oval Office as he signs order to fast track review of psychedelics

When Trump attended the UFC fight night in Miami, two weeks ago, where Rogan was announcing, the podcaster reached out to Dr Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, about ibogaine. Kennedy and Oz then got going on the executive order. Trump had even greeted Rogan cageside later that night.

“Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life,” Trump said. Podcaster Joe Rogan stood behind Trump as he signed the order and the president indicated that Rogan was a major inspiration behind the push to fast-track legalizing ibogaine, which is used outside the United States to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. The order also tells the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to speed up review of new treatments. It is aimed at helping veterans with anxiety and depression.

President Trump signed the executive order in the Oval Office of the White House with a number of executives from his administration present. FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz were also present during the signing ceremony. In fact, Trump didn’t talk much about the money behind all this. Instead, he asked if he could get some ibogaine. “Can I have some, please?” he said. “I’ll do whatever it takes…I don’t have time to be depressed. If you stay busy enough, maybe that’s what works too, that’s what I do.”

Rogan’s relationship with Trump has been under strain off late after the podcaster criticized the president’s actions on Iran. Trump, in response, referred to Rogan as a “liberal.” However, at the event in the White House, Rogan told reporters that his messages to Trump helped move the effort forward, saying the president responded quickly to his suggestion by asking about FDA approval. Rogan said that he heard about these treatments during a taping of his podcast and sent Trump “some information” about them. That said, Trump also clarified during the event hat he had consulted others, including Kennedy, first.

Trump said his directive will help “dramatically accelerate” access to potential treatments. “If these turn out to be as good as people are saying, it’s going to have a tremendous impact,” he said. Trump’s announcement follows pledges by Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. and other administration officials to expand access to psychedelics for medical use, an issue that has drawn rare bipartisan support.