‘This Is Not a Hoax’: How Joe Rogan’s Epstein File Rant Is Rocking Trump’s Inner Circle
In the weeks following the long-awaited—and heavily criticized—release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, President Donald Trump is facing unexpected fire from one of the most influential voices who helped him win the White House: Joe Rogan.
The podcaster, whose endorsement of Trump in 2024 was seen as a crucial gateway to younger male voters, has turned his microphone into a platform for blistering criticism of the administration. Rogan is not just questioning the pace of the release; he is accusing the FBI of “gaslighting” the public and suggesting that Trump’s own Department of Justice (DOJ) is actively protecting powerful names .
The controversy is now creating a political headache for two of Trump’s top law enforcement officials: Attorney General Pam Bondi and newly installed FBI Director Kash Patel.
“It Looks F***ing Terrible for Trump”
The tension escalated dramatically this week after the DOJ released over 3.5 million files. While the dump was massive, critics quickly pointed out that many names remained redacted, and the FBI has maintained that much of the evidence did not implicate a vast network of co-conspirators .
Rogan, speaking on his podcast, reacted with visible disgust. Reviewing an email where Epstein told Emirati billionaire Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem he “loved the torture video,” Rogan questioned why bin Sulayem’s name was initially hidden.
“Why would your name be redacted if you’re not a victim?” Rogan asked. “How come you redact some people and you don’t redact other people? This is not good. None of this is good for this administration. It looks terrible for Trump, when he was saying that none of this was real. This is all a hoax. This is not a hoax” .
This marks a significant断裂 from his previous stance. Rogan, who once gave Trump a platform for a lengthy election interview, is now using that same platform to accuse the president of betraying a campaign promise of transparency .
The “Gaslighting” Accusation and the FBI
Perhaps the most damaging critique from Rogan was aimed directly at the FBI. Following an Associated Press report that detailed how the FBI concluded there was “scant evidence” that Epstein ran a sex trafficking ring for powerful men, Rogan erupted.
“That’s the gaslightiest gaslighting s**t I’ve ever heard in my life,” Rogan said on his show. “What do they think is going on? Just a bunch of guys hanging out, being fellas, having cocktails, talking about science?” .
This rhetoric puts Kash Patel, Trump’s newly confirmed FBI Director, in a difficult position. Patel rose to prominence in MAGA circles by advocating for the “deconstruction of the Deep State” and demanding transparency from the very agencies he now leads. Rogan’s criticism frames the FBI’s reluctance to release unredacted documents not as a protection of victims, but as a continuation of the “Deep State” cover-up that Patel was supposed to end . If the redactions continue under Patel’s watch, Rogan’s massive audience—which overlaps significantly with Trump’s base—may view it as a failure of the new leadership to deliver on its promises.
Bondi on the Hot Seat
The pressure is equally intense on Attorney General Pam Bondi. During a contentious House hearing just days before Rogan’s latest rant, Bondi was confronted by Democrats over the handling of the files .
However, the political danger for Bondi isn’t coming from the left; it is coming from the credibility gap Rogan is highlighting. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a fellow Republican, has publicly accused Bondi of making “illegal redactions” to protect Epstein’s associates .
Rogan amplified this sentiment, mocking the administration’s defense. He highlighted the absurdity of the situation where some names are redacted while victims’ names have reportedly been left exposed, causing new trauma for survivors .
“I think some of that’s on purpose,” Rogan whispered earlier this year regarding the administration’s strategy of flooding the zone with immigration raids and fraud investigations to distract from the Epstein file delays . This accusation—that the administration is cynically using chaos to hide its failure—is a potent narrative that Bondi must now combat.
The “Distraction” Theory
Rogan and his guests have pointed out that whenever the Epstein story gains momentum, the administration seems to pivot to another culture war flashpoint. The fatal shooting of a woman by ICE agents in Minnesota and the subsequent focus on Somali immigrants, Rogan suggested, conveniently “drowned out” discussions about the Epstein files .
“Did they release something recently?” Rogan asked comedian Ehsan Ahmad last month. “No, they haven’t released anything in a minute,” Ahmad replied, noting the news cycle had moved on. Rogan’s response—”I think some of that’s on purpose”—suggests a level of premeditation that undermines the administration’s claims of competence .
Conclusion
For Trump, Bondi, and Patel, the Rogan problem is unique. This is not criticism from the “mainstream media” they have trained their base to ignore. This is Joe Rogan—a man who endorsed Trump, who had Trump on his show, and who represents the anti-establishment, free-thinking demographic that the MAGA movement treasures.
By calling the Epstein file release a “botch” and accusing the FBI of “gaslighting,” Rogan is legitimizing the skepticism of the very voters Trump needs to retain. If Rogan continues to frame this as a cover-up, the political fallout for Bondi and Patel could be severe, transforming a legal headache into a full-blown crisis of trust within the president’s own coalition.