Podcast host Joe Rogan wondered Friday if he wants “to have anything to do with politics anymore” after his mild endorsement of Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders brought a backlash from progressives.
Rogan saying his preferred candidate among those seeking the Democratic presidential nomination was Sanders has ignited protest from some who said the comedian is “transphobic.”
“It’s strange to watch it,” Rogan said. “It’s so obvious what it is. There’re using me to make [Sanders] look bad, that’s he’s using me … and all I said was ‘I’m probably going to vote for him.’” (RELATED: Bernie Sanders Tells Joe Rogan He’ll Let Him Know If Aliens Are Real If He’s President)
He admitted, “I don’t know what’s required to be president … maybe we’re better off with [President Donald] Trump.”
The comedian cautioned, “If you’re basing who you’re going to vote for … on what I like … I’m not the guy.”
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a roundtable discussion at the U.S. Capitol on strategies to combat the widespread contamination of America’s drinking water on January 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Rogan ripped CNN for misrepresenting his views on transgender people, explaining that he only objects when transgender women compete in boxing or martial arts against biological women and don’t reveal their gender history.
He described the result of such bouts as biological males “smashing girls.”
The podcaster’s casual endorsement of Sanders also apparently prompted former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to express outrage. “Let’s be clear: Transgender equality is the civil rights issue of our time. There is no room for compromise when it comes to basic human rights,” he wrote in a tweet last week. (RELATED: Democrats Are Making Girls’ Sports A 2020 Campaign Issue. Establishment Media Aren’t Telling You)
Commenting on all the fuss, Rogan said it showed “this podcast is getting too big.”
Despite his growing aversion to politics, an online petition indicted last summer that many Americans want Rogan to moderate a presidential debate.