'What if Iran nukes NYC?': Joe Rogan reignites Trump feud days after Oval Office appearance

WASHINGTON, DC: Podcaster Joe Rogan once again broke ranks with President Donald Trump with his renewed criticism of wars in Iran and Gaza, a striking reversal just days after appearing alongside the president at a White House executive order signing.

The 58-year-old commentator was in discussion with the comedian and writer Ari Shaffir on his podcast, 'The Joe Rogan Experience', when he compared the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to the current escalation with Tehran.

Once standing firm in the president’s corner, Rogan endorsed Trump in 2024 and became a prominent voice in the “manosphere,” credited with boosting his comeback.

However, he is charting his own course, breaking with the administration over immigration enforcement, the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and US military involvement in the Middle East. 

Joe Rogan asks Trump 'What if Iran nukes New York City?' in aftermath of conflict

Rogan began the discussion by pointing out the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“If you talk about, like, what's happening in Gaza, people say, well, October 7th shouldn't have happened. Like, okay, you're right. It shouldn't have. But guess what? Those kids who live in Gaza, they didn't do October 7th,” the UFC color commentator said.

He then went on to address the US and Trump’s involvement in the Iran war, asking, “What we did to Iran, what if Iran nukes New York City?”

“Those kids that live in the Bronx, they had nothing to do with what happened in Iran. So is that okay? What are we talking about?” he added.

Joe Rogan questions Trump’s strategy in Iran

Rogan’s renewed questions follow his criticism of Trump’s strategy in Iran. The podcaster was discussing escalating conflicts in Iran when Australian comedian James McCann asked the rationale behind the conflict, including whether it was aimed at regime change, to which Rogan responded that he was unsure why the Trump administration chose to launch the initial strikes when it did.

“People have wanted people out of Iran, the people that are running Iran, for 47 years, but no one has actually gone and done it the way this administration did,” he said. “And it doesn’t make sense they chose to do it when they did.” 

“I think the idea is that they’re trying to negotiate about something, you know, and I don’t know how this is ever going to work out. I really don’t know,” he added a few minutes later.

McCann then pointed to the US military raid in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolas Maduro, prompting Rogan to push back, calling it “a totally different situation.”

Trump mocked Joe Rogan as a 'liberal' during White House event

Rogan’s latest swipe lands at a tricky moment for Trump, who has been trying to bring both the host and his audience back into the fold.

Rogan was recently invited to the Oval Office to stand behind Trump at the Resolute Desk as he signed an executive order expediting an FDA review for psychedelic drug treatment, a practice the podcaster has supported.

However, the meeting didn’t go as planned as Trump mocked Rogan as a “liberal” during the White House event.

Rogan later told his audience that the president was joking. “He called me a liberal during the whole thing,” he said during an episode of his podcast.

He also weighed in on a viral clip of his seemingly tense handshake with Trump at a recent UFC event, clarifying that the moment was misread and that the president was merely confirming a psychedelics deal. 

“It wasn’t like he was mad at me at all,” Rogan said on his podcast. “It was the opposite.”