Joe Rogan has claimed that a “media psy-op” is responsible for creating a negative image of Donald Trump that has “distorted” people’s perceptions of the president-elect.
The MMA commentator and popular podcast host noted an apparent shift in media treatment of the President-elect dating to a time before his first presidential term.
"The Joe Rogan Experience" is one of the world’s most popular podcasts, with a listenership of roughly 11 million per episode. Rogan is seen as having been one of the key players in the 2024 election, having made a last-minute endorsement of Trump.
Rogan has previously spoken out about the loss of credibility of so-called legacy media, TV broadcasters and other traditional publication platforms, which, he says, has led to an alienation of lifelong liberal voters.
Speaking on an episode of his podcast on Thursday, Rogan discussed the abrupt shift in tone toward Trump, noting prior episodes of The View and a 2000 endorsement from Oprah Winfrey, who had told him he would make a good candidate for president.
"What we saw is the greatest media psy-op in history,” he said. "What you’re seeing with Trump, regardless of his flaws, is a massive concentrated psy-op. They’ve distorted who he is to the point where most people think that way. Most people think that way. They’ve had narratives."
The term “psy-op” is an abbreviated version of “psychological operation” – a military operation usually aimed at influencing the enemy’s state of mind through non-combative means.
Rogan went on to highlight comments about illegal immigrants made by Trump’s former presidential challenger Hillary Clinton in 2008, which he described as “wild Maga-type s***.”
"2008 Hillary Clinton was more MAGA than Trump,” he said. “But how about that? More MAGA than Trump. It’s all a f****** illusion. It’s all a f****** illusion. All of them, when convenient, have said the exact same things."
Rogan then argued that the 2024 election was the first in which legacy media had been overshadowed by alternate outlets, including podcasts such as his own.
"They had control of the media up until now. This election was the first time they didn’t really have control of the media anymore," Rogan argued. "Because of us, because of podcasts. Because of social media, because of X."
