Joe Rogan appears to have changed his mind about Bernie Sanders.
In a recent episode on his JRE podcast, the UFC commentator and podcast host recently reflected on his past support for the Vermont senator, saying he does not think he could bring himself to vote for Sanders today. Rogan’s biggest issue is not necessarily Sanders’ political views, but how he believes the senator handled the 2016 Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton.
Rogan previously spoke highly of Sanders, particularly because of his positions on war, social programs and economic issues. He recalled first publicly saying he would probably vote for Sanders after being asked about his preferred candidate.
“That was the first time that I ever got attacked when I had Bernie on,” Rogan said, recalling the backlash that followed his comments.
At the time, Rogan said Sanders was the candidate who made the most sense to him, pointing to his opposition to war and his proposal to use money from stock market speculation to fund social programs.
However, Rogan now says his view of Sanders changed after the 2016 primary. Sanders finished behind Clinton in the Democratic primary, ultimately supporting her after she secured the nomination.
“This is a long time ago, I don’t necessarily think that I would feel the same way anymore about him,” Rogan explained. “One of the reasons being he kind of gave into the Democratic Establishment, he let them run him over during that whole thing with Hillary where they rigged the primary.”
Rogan went further, saying Sanders should have confronted Democratic Party leaders rather than accepting what happened.
“He let them get away with stuff, when I think he should’ve put his foot down and said, ‘This is messed up. You guys are rigging the party.’ They haven’t had a legit primary in more than a decade. That’s not good.”
The comments are notable because Rogan’s support for Sanders continued well after the 2016 election. He endorsed Sanders during a January 2020 episode of his podcast with Bari Weiss, describing him as “consistent.”
In 2022, Rogan also told comedian Andrew Schulz that he supported Sanders because he believed the senator “genuinely looks out for the working class and genuinely wants to help people.”
Rogan’s latest remarks suggest that his opinion of Sanders has shifted considerably over the years. His comments also come shortly after he criticized democratic socialist candidates, calling them “nuts” while acknowledging that he believed some were coming from a good place.
