The question of anti-war politics in the United States as they pertain to the war in Ukraine became a key topic of discussion on the nation’s most popular podcast show.
Podcaster Joe Rogan and comedian Duncan Trussell reflected on the pushback former President Donald Trump received from commentators after calling for the war in Ukraine to end.
Rogan criticized what he viewed as the unserious way the media treated Trump’s comments, particularly what he called the “gotcha” nature of the pushback, noting that the former president’s critics are trying to score political points “with a subject that literally has the fate of the world in front of it.”
“These people are just flippantly supporting this continued conflict with no talk at all about some sort of a compromise or … conversation,” Rogan warned.
The comments in question were made during a May CNN town hall event in New Hampshire. When asked whether he wants Ukraine or Russia to win the war, Trump responded:
“I want everybody to stop dying. They’re dying. Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done in 24 hours I’ll have it done. You need the power of the presidency to do it.”
Rogan called Trump’s answer “perfect” and expressed disappointment in how Democrats have seemingly abandoned seeking a peaceful solution to the Ukraine war.
“The Democrats were always antiwar. Always. This is the first time that the Democrats are wholesale buying the narrative … ‘[W]e have to stop Putin. We have to support Ukraine.’ I mean, how many Democrats, peaceful people that used to have syringes in their Twitter bio now have a Ukraine flag?” Rogan said.
Rogan and Trussell had turned to Trump’s comments after watching a video clip of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He expressed his support for the United States giving Ukraine billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded military aid.
“It’s the best money we’ve ever spent,” Graham said.
Rogan described Graham’s words as endorsing “human sacrifice.”