Psychedelics, Podcasts, Power: Trump's Joe Rogan Reset After Iran Rift

The relation between US President Donald Trump and the nation's top podcaster Joe Rogan continues to take unpredictable turns at a dizzying pace with the latter's latest Oval Office visit appearing as a thaw after the Iran war created tensions.

Alongside Trump and top health officials on Saturday, the conservative podcaster gave his two cents before an order to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, holding great promise for hard-to-treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and opioid addiction, was signed. Rogan said he texted Trump information on ibogaine and the president responded: "Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let's do it."

"Today's order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life," Trump said as he signed an executive order and Rogan stood behind him. Per an Axios report, Trump has been in touch with Rogan frequently, while Vice President JD Vance met him last month.

He said Rogan is "a little bit more liberal than I am". The move is expected to appease the podcaster, a known proponent of ibogaine, which is derived from a plant that grows in West Africa and has been embraced by some military veteran groups as a treatment for post-traumatic stress.

Rogan was among Trump's most outspoken supporters during the 2024 Presidential campaign. He had proclaimed to a million of his followers that the Republican nominee was a force that the political establishment did not know how to handle.

Almost two years later, as the US and Israel traded attacks with Iran beginning February 28, his stance flipped. He said in a 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast that Trump, who ran his Presidential campaign on the promise of ending "senseless wars", is now part of a conflict that is leaving Americans feeling "betrayed".

"You're shooting missiles into towns and blowing things up .... What the f*** are we doing? Like, how is this still going on?" the podcaster said.

The White House's push to rebuild bridges with Rogan is consistent with how much his voice matters. According to the Pew Research Center, around a third of Americans now get some news from podcasts. The Joe Rogan Experience is consistently cited as one of America's most popular podcasts - about 80 per cent of listeners are male and roughly half are aged 18 to 34.

A February poll by Reuters indicated that just 33 per cent of men ages 18-29 approve of Trump's job performance, down 10 points from a year earlier. The statistic assumes significance as crucial mid-term elections are in the offing in November.

The attempt at mending ties is reserved for Rogan, with another long-term Trump ally and Iran war critic Tucker Carlson not getting the same leeway. The US President called Carlson a "low-IQ person that has absolutely no idea what's going on."