Joe Rogan, a globally recognized podcaster, has delivered a grave warning to the American public, stating the nation is ‘in dark territory’ following Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
On the most recent episode of his renowned podcast, joined by long-time producer Brian Redban, Rogan offered a chilling apocalyptic warning due to the increasingly dangerous rhetoric that has become commonplace across political lines.
Discussing the current climate, Rogan, age 58, suggested that the reaction to the death of conservative commentator Kirk ‘might be like step seven on the way to a bona fide civil war’ on a scale from one to 10, with 10 being an all-out civil war.
Kirk, aged 31, was shot and killed on September 10 in Utah during a debate with college students. Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with the murder and is awaiting trial, which is anticipated to start next year.
Reflecting on history, Rogan noted that during the last civil conflict in America, approximately 2.5 percent of the population (700,000 individuals) perished, which would equate to 8.5 million deaths if adjusted to today’s population.
Rogan, who supported President Trump in the 2024 election and has leaned more conservative in recent times, highlighted how some ‘regular people’ expressed joy over Kirk’s murder ‘in front of their wife and kid on television in front of the entire world.’
The prominent podcaster remarked: “As soon as you celebrate that, like man, you’re in dark territory.”
Recent polling from Politico has indicated a rise in certain segments of the population endorsing political violence, with 24 percent agreeing it is sometimes justified.
This figure increases to about one in three among individuals under the age of 45.
While Rogan criticized ordinary citizens’ reactions to the tragic assassination, he continued to extend some leniency towards Trump concerning his role in escalating political rhetoric.
He condemned the BBC for editing parts of Trump’s notorious January 6 speech, making it seem as though the president was overtly encouraging supporters to storm the Capitol, citing ‘if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore’.
However, despite his hesitance, there appears to be a widening divide between Rogan’s influential podcast and the Trump camp, though Rogan approached the issue with caution.
Even though he labeled the BBC edit as ‘crazy’, Rogan mentioned that Trump’s call to ‘cheer on our brave senators’ was clearly sarcastic, meant as an attempt to incite fear in Congress and deter senators from certifying the 2024 election’s results.
He also mentioned Trump’s assertions about the election being stolen needed more concrete proof, stopping short of outright stating he was lying: “If you say that, you’ve got to have some really good evidence that you can give out.”
This isn’t the first time Rogan has been critical of Trump, having previously commented on the Trump administration’s approach to deportation: “I really thought they were just going to go after the criminals.”
This reference was directed at Trump’s policies that involved ‘ripping parents out of their communities’.
Seen by his followers as a politically neutral champion of free speech, Rogan refrained from fully condemning Trump in this episode, later acknowledging that Trump has ‘got a lot of things going on’, with a brief and vague reference to his ongoing controversies and cryptocurrency activities.