President Trump is deploying a carefully calibrated charm offensive to keep podcast star Joe Rogan in his corner, even as the influencer hammers him over military escalation in Iran.
The two men met Saturday in the Oval Office, where Trump signed an executive order fast-tracking federal review of psychedelic drugs for mental illness treatment. Rogan was there to watch, and credited a text exchange that moved with surprising speed: he had messaged the president about ibogaine, a psychedelic with potential benefits for opioid addiction. Trump's response was immediate. "The text message came back: 'Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let's do it.' It was literally that quick," Rogan recalled.
The order allocates $50 million for ibogaine research and directs federal agencies to expand their work in the psychedelics space. It's a visible win for Rogan on a cause he has championed for years.
Why this matters: Rogan's audience of young men proved crucial to Trump's 2024 victory. The latest Reuters polling shows just 33% of men ages 18-29 approve of the president's job performance, down ten points from a year earlier. Keeping Rogan engaged is not ceremonial politics, it is strategic necessity.
The White House has been working to strengthen ties with Rogan for months. Trump speaks with him frequently, according to an administration official. Vice President Vance met with Rogan in Austin last month during a fundraising trip. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been in regular contact and appeared on Rogan's podcast in February. Another Kennedy aide, Calley Means, also went on the show in 2024 and attended Saturday's signing.
The groundwork accelerated after Trump attended a UFC event in Miami two weekends ago where Rogan was announcing. Trump reached out to Centers for Medicare administrator Mehmet Oz about ibogaine while en route to the fight, setting the machinery in motion. Kennedy and Oz pushed the executive order forward from there. Trump greeted Rogan cageside that night.
Rogan is slated to commentate at UFC Freedom 250, scheduled for June 14 on the White House South Lawn. UFC President Dana White, who maintains close relationships with both men, has effectively served as a bridge between them.
The tension is real. Rogan has been scathing about the Iran military operations. "You're shooting missiles into towns and blowing things up. What the f*** are we doing?" he said last week. He has argued that voters feel betrayed by Trump's reversal on his "no more wars" campaign promise. Trump fired back at the Oval Office signing, quipping that Rogan is "a little bit more liberal than I am."
Yet neither is willing to fracture the relationship. The Saturday meeting underscores that both sides want to preserve what has developed into a genuine political and personal alliance. The contrast with Trump's treatment of Iran war critic Tucker Carlson is instructive. Trump called Carlson a "low-IQ person that has absolutely no idea what's going on." Administration officials view Rogan as less ideologically rigid than Carlson, with a broader portfolio of interests and less overt partisan baggage.
The psychedelics order, then, serves double duty. It delivers substantively on an issue Rogan cares about while signaling to him that his voice matters in this administration, even when they disagree on foreign policy.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump is betting he can paper over genuine disagreement with tangible wins on Rogan's priorities, but you can't indefinitely keep a voice that large quiet on a war he thinks is wrong."
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