Podcast host Joe Rogan called out Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday during his show, warning that the military-industrial complex could be leading the United States into World War III before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated in November after President Joe Biden officially authorized Ukraine on Sunday to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles for strikes inside Russia. On “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Rogan’s guest, American record producer Scott Storch, told the host he felt “safer” overall knowing Trump would be in office for the next four years.
“What I don’t feel safer [about] is right now they’re launching missiles into Russia,” Rogan responded. “How are you allowed to do that when you’re on the way out? Like the people don’t want you to be there anymore. This should be some sort of a pause for significant actions that could potentially start World War III. Maybe that would be a good thing that we would like to avoid from a dying former president. The whole thing is nuts.”
Rogan went on to read a headline claiming Zelensky said Russian President Vladmir Putin is “terrified” before calling out the world leader, highlighting how intercontinental ballistic missiles can carry nuclear weapons.
“Zelensky says Putin is terrified. Fuck you, man. Fuck you people. You fucking people are about to start World War III,” Rogan said. “Fucking insanity because those intercontinental ballistic missiles can have nukes on them. This didn’t, but if it does the whole world changes and it changes because the military industrial complex and it changes because of the money that’s going to Ukraine. It changes because the outgoing president, or whoever the fuck is actually running the country, has decided to do something fucking insane.”
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“We’re all sitting there watching it and people are cheering it on CNN was saying, ‘Like finally’ — see what their headline was about Biden giving Zelensky the ability to use long-range missiles. U.S. made long range — it’s not like nobody knows where they came from,” Rogan added. “It’s not like nobody knows we’ve been funding this. It’s a proxy war. The whole thing is fucking insane.”
During a September interview with Fox News, Zelensky said Putin was “afraid” to use nuclear weapons due to his love for his life, downplaying the possibility of a full-scale war between the two countries. On Wednesday, the Ukrainian president continued to call out others, telling Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst that Israel “has been afraid of Putin,” adding they made “a mistake on a political level” by holding back support for Ukraine.
After Ukraine fired its first set of U.S.-provided long-range missiles on Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy shut down Wednesday, with staff told to shelter in place amid concerns over a “significant” aerial attack. The idea of the two countries triggering World War III is not new, as Ukraine’s former military commander-in-chief, Valery Zaluzhny, told Politico on Thursday that in “2024 we can absolutely believe that the Third World War has begun.”
Just two days after winning the presidential election, Trump revealed that he had warned Putin not to escalate tensions with Ukraine during a phone call. The former president had campaigned on a promise to end the overseas war and ease tensions between the countries.
Featured Image Credit: Volodymyr Zelensky
