Joe Rogan believes President Donald Trump cannot escape responsibility for Republicans’ disastrous midterm election results, despite arguments that the administration’s failures were largely the result of internal political dysfunction. The podcast host made the remarks during a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience featuring Calley Means, a former senior adviser involved in implementing the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.
During the conversation, Means discussed the administration’s political strategy ahead of the midterms, arguing that Republican leadership had prioritized redistricting and fundraising over delivering on the populist promises that helped Trump return to the White House. According to Means, institutional resistance, lobbying influence, and policy obstruction prevented the administration from fulfilling several of its commitments, ultimately contributing to the electoral setback.
Means also pushed back against placing the blame entirely on Trump, suggesting that several of the problems had developed within the administration without the president necessarily being fully aware of their extent.
He stated, “President Trump ran this won this election, but they’re in crisis mode. There’s a lot of people in crisis mode to basically blame the president, which I think is is is wrong.”
Rogan, however, questioned whether Trump could realistically be separated from the consequences of his own political decisions.
“But don’t you think he takes some responsibility?” Rogan asked.
The podcaster subsequently pointed to several controversial decisions that had alienated sections of Trump’s political base, including the administration’s involvement in Iran.
“The war in Iran is deeply unpopular… It’s not just that. The cryptocurrency thing. A lot of stuff is deeply unpopular,” Rogan added.
When Means attempted to explain the institutional problems surrounding the administration, Rogan reiterated that Trump’s own decisions had contributed to the Republicans’ predicament.
“Obviously there’s some things that have made his administration deeply unpopular with some of the American people,” Rogan said.
Rogan’s criticism is particularly notable given his support for Trump during the 2024 presidential election. Although the podcaster remained broadly aligned with the president’s political movement, he had increasingly expressed frustration with the administration’s departure from several campaign promises.
One of Rogan’s most significant concerns has been Trump’s involvement in Iran, particularly after campaigning on a promise to avoid further American military entanglements.
“The thing that disappoints everybody who supported Trump before he got into office was one of his big things that everybody agreed with was no more war,” Rogan previously said.
The podcaster also expressed concern about the possibility of renewed military action against Iran following the midterms, warning that the situation could deteriorate further.
“I’m a little concerned about what might happen post-midterms. And one of the rumblings that I’m hearing… is, after the midterms, the United States might start attacking Iran again,” Rogan said last month.
“I don’t know if this is true or if this is just speculation, but good lord, I hope it’s not true.”
Beyond foreign policy, Rogan has also criticized the administration’s handling of the Epstein files, arguing that Trump failed to deliver on expectations surrounding government transparency and accountability.
“What we were sold with the Trump administration would be that it would drain the swamp. Obviously, it’s not been ideal in that regard,” Rogan said in September.
The administration’s immigration crackdown and its political priorities have also contributed to Rogan’s growing dissatisfaction. While the podcaster has continued to remain within Trump’s political orbit, his criticism has increasingly centered on what he sees as a failure to deliver on the issues that originally attracted voters.
