Donald Trump backed conservative intellectual Douglas Murray after his tense debate with Joe Rogan on platforming misinformation and Israel’s war against Hamas.
Murray appeared on the comic’s hit podcast and went back-and-forth with Rogan and libertarian guest David Smith on both the conflict and what Murray believes is Rogan’s platforming of conspiracy theories.
On Thursday’s episode, Rogan – a free speech absolutist – denied that he was treating some of his guests who may provide alternative theories on the past as serious historians, while Murray and Smith were locked in an argument over the Middle Eastern conflict.
After the clash went viral, Trump took to his Truth Social account to promote Murray’s new book.
‘My friend, Douglas Murray, just released a new book, “On Democracies and Death Cults,” and it is quickly becoming a Best Seller! Based on his firsthand reporting, Douglas documents the barbarity of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel on October 7th, and Israel’s heroic response,’ he wrote on Friday.
‘The Book serves as a strong reminder of why we must always stand up for America, and our great friend and ally, Israel. A powerful read from a Highly Respected author – Get your copy today!’
Murray offered no public comment but shared the president’s post to his own feed on X.
Donald Trump (pictured) backed conservative intellectual Douglas Murray after his tense debate with Joe Rogan on platforming misinformation and Israel’s war against Hamas
Murray appeared on the comic’s hit podcast and went back-and-forth with Rogan (pictured) and libertarian guest David Smith on both the conflict and what Murray believes is Rogan’s platforming of conspiracy theories
The columnist and author told Rogan to his face that he thinks he’s responsible for a misinformation problem in society.
‘I feel you’ve opened the door to quite a lot of people who now got a big platform, who have been throwing out counter-historical stuff of a very dangerous kind,’ Murray said to Rogan.
Murray offered podcaster Darryl Cooper and Holocaust denier Ian Carroll as examples of the kind of Rogan guests who have shared questionable information.
Daryl Cooper has said that not only did the Nazis not intend to murder millions but that Winston Churchill is the main villain of World War Two.
‘These guys are not historians, they’re not knowledgeable about anything,’ Murray said.
‘No one is calling Ian Carroll a historian,’ Rogan shot back.
‘But then why listen to their views on Churchill?’ Murray insisted. ‘If you only get the contrary view, which is – ‘isn’t it fun if we all pretend that Churchill was the bad guy of the 20th century?’ – at some point you’re going to lead people to think that’s the view. And that’s horses**t of the most profound kind.’
‘I don’t think about it that way,’ Rogan doubled down. ‘I just think, I’d like to talk to that person.’
Trump appears to have taken sides, taking to his Truth Social account to promote Murray’s (pictured) new book
But Murray wasn’t having it and concluded: ‘There’s a point at which ‘I’m just raising questions’ isn’t valid anymore… You’re not asking questions — you’re telling people something.’
Joe Rogan is a fierce defender of American First Amendment rights to free speech, repeatedly naming it as the main reasons he endorsed Donald Trump for president on the eve of the election.
He also regularly praised Elon Musk for having bought Twitter, renaming it X, and allowed free speech to flourish on the platform, which previously censored views they did not agree with.
Rogan has also previously criticized what he perceives as a creeping authoritarianism in Britain and has hit out and the nation’s Online Safety Act, which has seen arrests over social media posts.
Rogan’s confrontation with Murray comes after president John F Kennedy’s grandson criticized Rogan for spreading misinformation about the president’s 1963 assassination.
Jack Schlossberg took aim at the podcaster for his 2023 interview with his cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, in which the now Secretary of Health and Human Services peddled the idea that John F. Kennedy was killed by America’s intelligence agencies.
Trump appeared on the same podcast months later and vowed to release all of the documents related to JFK’s November 22, 1963 assassination if he were to be elected president.
‘Are you going to go through all the JFK assassination files tomorrow with your little butt buddy Bobby,’ Schlossberg asked Rogan in a video posted to Instagram Monday night. ‘You better.’
Rogan became the most successful podcaster in the country thanks to his interviews with guests with controversial views. It has paid off, as last year Spotify renewed their partnership with Rogan for as much as $250 million over its multiyear term
‘After you spread all those lies, you’re not going to make sure that they’re true?’ he asked rhetorically.
In a caption for the video, Schlossberg also goaded Rogan to have him on his show.
‘Just kidding, you’re too scared to talk to someone who doesn’t agree with you,’ Schlossberg said.
Rogan became the most successful podcaster in the country thanks to his interviews with guests with controversial views.
It has paid off, as last year Spotify renewed their partnership with Rogan for as much as $250 million over its multiyear term.
Over the years, Rogan has developed a huge audience who listen to his long, wide-ranging interviews with a variety of guests, including comedians, athletes, scientists and conspiracy theorists.
‘There’s no script of what we’re going to talk about, and it all just sort of happens in real time,’ said Rogan on Spotify’s blog post. ‘It’s just an actual organic conversation with people enjoying themselves, which is something we all can relate to, and something we all love to do. These conversations have changed the way I think about life immeasurably and continue to do so.’
The show is consistently Spotify’s most popular podcast but also a frequent cause of controversy for the company.
Spotify came under enormous pressure in 2022 to drop Rogan over his anti-coronavirus vaccine comments and use of racial slurs, with some musicians, including Neil Young, pulling their music from the platform in protest.
In February 2022, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek denounced the host’s racist language but said, ‘I do not believe that silencing Joe is the answer.’
Rogan says he’s a progressive who backed Bernie Sanders in 2016 but who became a MAGA supporter thanks to recent woke excesses of the Democrat party.
