On JRE MMA Show #179 with Josh Thompson and John McCarthy, Joe Rogan revealed that he personally contacted President Donald Trump in an effort to push forward action on Ibogaine, a plant-based psychedelic that has shown promising results in helping veterans dealing with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
According to Rogan, the exchange with Trump was surprisingly direct.
“The process was me texting Trump. Literally,” Rogan said. “I texted him on Friday. He showed up to the UFC on Saturday, shook my hand, and said, ‘It’s done.’”
When Thompson asked whether he was being serious, Rogan doubled down and explained how the conversation unfolded.
“I’m not kidding at all,” he said. “I texted him. He texted me back, ‘Are you looking for FDA approval? Sounds good to me.’”
Rogan then explained why the issue mattered so much to him, pointing to veterans struggling with trauma and the wider opioid crisis in the United States.
“I tell him how effective it is at helping all these veterans with PTSD, people with traumatic brain injuries, all these different things,” Rogan said. “We have a problem with fentanyl in this country. This is one of the best things that we’ve ever demonstrated.”
He continued by criticizing the fact that many veterans have to leave the country to access treatment.
“There are so many people that risk their life for this country,” Rogan explained. “They come back and there’s no help and this is the only thing that they’ve found help in. And it’s illegal and that doesn’t make any sense.”
“You shouldn’t have to go to Mexico to get treatment for something that you got because you were defending your country,” he added. “That’s nuts.”
According to Rogan, Trump immediately understood the argument.
“And so he right away was like, ‘Look, this makes sense to me,’” Rogan said.
Rogan also claimed Trump pushed the issue through despite resistance from people within the administration.
“There was a bunch of people that were trying to get in the way of it,” Rogan said. “Inside the White House, people that were trying to get in the way, and he’s like, ‘Just do it. Make it happen.’”
“And he made it happen,” Rogan added. “And that’s amazing for everybody.”
The UFC commentator stressed that his support for the issue had nothing to do with politics or personal favors.
“I’ve never asked him for anything. Never,” Rogan said. “But if there’s anything that I would really ask him for, it’s bipartisan supported.”
“Democrats support it, Republicans support it. 85% of the country supports it,” he continued. “Especially when it comes to things like Ibogaine, which is not even remotely recreational.”
