Trump Tells Joe Rogan To Stop Apologizing To 'Maniacs And Lunatics'
Former President Donald Trump wants Joe Rogan to stand up to criticism, rather than stand down.
Trump said in a statement Monday that Rogan should stop apologizing to the "radical left" and making himself look weak.
“Joe Rogan is an interesting and popular guy, but he’s got to stop apologizing to the Fake News and Radical Left maniacs and lunatics,” Trump said, via the New York Post. “How many ways can you say you’re sorry? Joe, just go about what you do so well and don’t let them make you look weak and frightened. That’s not you and it never will be!”
The Joe Rogan Experience host has been on the apology trail since a video of him saying the N-word 24 times on his Spotify podcast surfaced.
"I know that to most people, there's no context where a white person is ever allowed to say that word, never mind publicly on a podcast, and I agree with that now," Rogan said, via Business Insider. "I haven't said it in years. But for a long time, when I would bring that word up, like if it would come up in conversation, instead of saying 'the N-word,' I would just say the word."
The backlash is nothing new for Rogan, 54, as his podcast was previously under attack for complaints of spreading COVID-19 misinformation. Rogan has often had Dr. Peter McCullough on his show, who has been outspoken against the vaccines for their ineffectiveness. As a result, musical artists such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell have removed their music from Spotify in protest.
Rogan posted a near 10-minute video to Instagram in response, where he defended the guests he's brought on.
“I’m just a person who sits down with people and has conversations with them. Have I got things wrong before? Absolutely,” Rogan said. “But I try to correct things I have done, because I am interested in telling the truth and finding out what the truth is.
“I am interested in having interesting conversations with people that have differing opinions. I am not interested in only talking to people that have one perspective. That’s one of the reasons I had Sanjay Gupta on, who I respect very much and I really enjoyed our conversation together. He has a different opinion to those two people.
“I had Michael Osterholm on at the beginning of the pandemic. He’s on President Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board. I had Dr. Peter Hotez, who is a vaccine expert. I am interested in finding out what’s correct and how people come to those conclusions and what the facts are.”
Rogan received tons of support from many celebrities, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who commented on the post.
“Great stuff here brother. Perfectly articulated,” Johnson wrote. “Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you.”
Johnson walked back on his support shortly after the N-word video montage made the rounds on social media.
Rogan has since pulled more than 100 episodes from Spotify after talking with Spotify CEO Daniel Ek. Ek wrote in a letter to Spotify employees released Sunday that while he condemns what Rogan said, the company would not be cutting ties with him.
“While I strongly condemn what Joe has said and I agree with his decision to remove past episodes from our platform, I realize some will want more. And I want to make one point very clear – I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer,” Ek said, via The Hollywood Reporter. “We should have clear lines around content and take action when they are crossed, but canceling voices is a slippery slope. Looking at the issue more broadly, it’s critical thinking and open debate that powers real and necessary progress.”
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