Joe Rogan reacted with disbelief after discussing reports that President Donald Trump may have used members of the press as an unwitting decoy during a change in his travel arrangements aboard Air Force One.
The topic came up during an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience featuring comedian Joe DeRosa. DeRosa told Rogan about claims that Trump did not board the aircraft reporters expected him to use after the NATO summit. Instead, the president was allegedly moved through an airport catering container and transported to a military aircraft for a private flight.
According to the account discussed on the podcast, the press corps remained on the older Air Force One aircraft without being told that Trump was not traveling with them. The reporters and some White House personnel therefore became unknowing participants in what was described as a security ruse.
Rogan was visibly surprised by the possibility that the press had been placed on the plane as a decoy. He questioned whether officials believed Air Force One could be targeted and suggested that the journalists had been left unaware of the potential risk.
“Reporters on the older plane were not told that Mr. Trump had not flown with them from Turkey to an airbase in Britain,” producer Jamie said while reading from the report. He added that the press members were “unwitting participants in the ruse.”
Jamie noted that they believed they were simply accompanying the president, while Trump had allegedly been moved separately before later returning to the older aircraft.
“After they arrived in Britain, he was secretly moved back to the older version of Air Force One,” Jamie said.
Rogan was surprised about the reported maneuver, particularly because the press members were apparently not informed of the change.
“Those press people were signing up for something they didn’t know. They didn’t know what they were signing up for. And they didn’t tell them at all,” Rogan said.
He then joked about the stark difference in importance between the president and the reporters if the aircraft had indeed been used as a decoy.
“When you want to know, like, who’s more important, you or the president, that’s when you find out. They just throw you on Air Force One and it’s like, boom. All of a sudden, you turn into protons.”
Joe DeRosa then wondered whether the incident had sparked any backlash from the press.
“Has there been backlash? Are the press saying anything?” he asked.
“I would imagine they’re a little perturbed,” Rogan replied. “That would perturb me.”
