5 takeaways from Vance's 3-hour Joe Rogan interview
The Hill · C · trust 36/100
Comments: by Ryan Mancini - 07/16/26 5:48 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Ryan Mancini - 07/16/26 5:48 PM ET Comments: Link copied Mark Schiefelbein, Associated Press Vice President Vance and Joe Rogan Vice President Vance on Wednesday sat with podcaster Joe Rogan for a sweeping, nearly three-hourlong interview that touched on a number of political topics.
The interview marked the vice president’s second appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” with Vance last appearing on the podcast one week before the 2024 presidential election.
Rogan endorsed Trump in 2024 but has been outspoken with his criticism at times since the president has taken office.
Here are five takeaways on the interview.
Vance told Rogan that there were some officials within the Israeli government who hated the memorandum of understanding , the failed interim deal between the U.S. and Iran that would lead to a full-fledged peace deal.
“There are some people within their system, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely,” Vance said. “Again, not towards any objective, but just indefinitely.”
Vance defended Trump’s choice to launch strikes on Iran “completely separate from any influence from Israel.”
“I certainly think that there are a lot of talking points, and there are a lot of arguments that make their way into American political discourse,” the vice president said, without specifically referring to any country’s actions. “I think there are a lot of social media campaigns that definitely influence Americans and affect Americans.”
Lawmakers pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he initially suggested the U.S. launched its first attack on Iran after assessing that Iran posed a real threat to Israel.
He later backtracked, telling reporters in March that the U.S. military campaign “ had to happen anyway .”
The New York Times previously reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to Trump in the White House’s Situation Room to propose the joint attack on Iran.
The vice president did not mince words in addressing the communications about the Justice Department’s documents on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files,” Vance said. “But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No.”
The vice president said he did not know what the purpose was of former Attorney General Pam Bondi saying she had an Epstein “client list” on her desk when “the effect of it was to make people mistrust the entire effort.”
“I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment,” he said. “I think she overstated what we had and what we didn’t have. And I think that she, you know, got roasted for it publicly by a lot of people, including me.”
Rogan also questioned the notion that Trump can easily be manipulated, suggesting Trump opposed releasing the Epstein files because he was blackmailed by “very wealthy, powerful people that were engaged in crimes.”
“That’s not true, dude,” Vance said about the notion.
Rogan reflected on having Texas Senate candidate James Talarico (D) on his show and agreed with him on not having the Ten Commandments presented in schools, saying that it’s “forcing your religion onto other people’s lives.”
Vance said, “You never want to force things on people,” but disagreed that placing the Ten Commandments forces anything on children.
“If you’re going to do that, why not put Buddhist scripture?” Rogan said. “Why not put, you know, Muslim stuff? You could make an argument why you should have a bunch of different religious tenants in schools.”
Vance cited religious texts as forming the backbone of the “lawgiving tradition in Western civilization” before emphasizing the Christian faith of the Founding Fathers as being crucial to the formation of the U.S. government.
Using a secular perspective as an example, Vance said that he would view the Ten Commandments as “an important cultural element of Western civilization which is the foundation of the classroom that I’m sitting in.”
“And this idea that the law comes in ... sort of above any man, even if you don’t believe in God yourself, I think that’s an important concept,” the vice president said.
The discussion continued, with Vance saying that religion has largely left the public square. Rogan maintained his position and added that it was a “different story” to teach the Ten Commandments rather than incorporate it into the school.
Rogan also talked with Vance about the “Freedom 250 UFC” fight at the White House on Trump’s birthday last month before asking what was more shocking: UFC fighter Josh Hokit’s armbar fighting techniques or his offensive remark saying, “Michelle Obama is a man, am I right America?”
“Definitely the armbar part,” Vance replied after he let out a loud laugh.
The two discussed how Hokit was playing a character and that it is part of his act, but Rogan said the remark about the former first lady was not “the best thing to say at the White House.”
“Fair, but the reaction to it to me was still totally disproportionate,” Vance replied. “Dude, people say stuff all the time. OK, I live –– I work in a business where, obviously, people make life and death decisions all the time. And I’m always a little bit caught off guard by the culture that just overreacts, when clearly the thing that Josh is trying to get is the overreaction in the first place, right?”
Vance neither…
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