'How Could Anybody Defend That?': Joe Rogan Breaks With Trump On Important Policy Position

Joe Rogan listens to President Donald Trump speak in the Oval Office on April 18, 2026.AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonPodcast host and comedian Joe Rogan broke with Donald Trump over the president’s position that Israel has not committed genocide in Gaza.In 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Last year, a United Nations commission issued a report that concluded Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.Advertisement “Explicit statements by Israeli civilian and military authorities and the pattern of conduct of the Israeli security forces indicate that the genocidal acts were committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group,” the U.N.commission wrote in its 2025 report.

On Wednesday, Rogan declared that in 20 years, this will be a “universally accepted opinion.” Rogan added that even when considering the Oct.7, 2023 Hamas attacks, which killed 1,200 people and saw roughly 251 taken hostage, he couldn’t see how anyone would support Israel’s war in Gaza.“How could anybody defend that? I don’t even know how many people are dead,” Rogan said to his guest, actor Tim Robbins.

“You have a complete wipeout of a city, like 90% of Gaza is gone.”Advertisement According to data from the Gaza Health Ministry, over 75,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Oct.7 attacks.Rogan is a stanch ally of Trump and even hosted Vice President JD Vance on his show earlier this month.

However, he has occasionally made statements that run up against the administration’s policies and positions, particularly regarding Trump’s actions in the Middle East.Rogan first broached the topic with Robbins, who said it was “nuts” that the agent of his ex-partner, actor Susan Sarandon, had cut ties with her after she criticized Israel.

Robbins added th...