During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience featuring comedian and political commentator Dave Smith, Rogan did not hold back his frustrations with the current administration, touching on foreign policy failures and his growing belief that artificial intelligence could do a better job running the government than humans currently are.
The conversation began with the pair examining Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and allegations tied to his former firm, Cantor Fitzgerald. Reports suggested the firm had explored buying tariff refund rights that would only gain value if former President Donald Trump’s tariffs were struck down by the courts.
As they reviewed the story using the AI tool Perplexity, Rogan became noticeably enthusiastic about the technology itself.
“God, I love AI,” Rogan said.
When Smith agreed, Rogan doubled down on his optimism about artificial intelligence, joking that it could eventually replace politicians altogether.
“I can’t wait until it takes over government. It’s going to be awesome,” he said.
Smith leaned into the idea, suggesting that even a radical shift like AI governance might not be worse than the current system. “After a while you’re like, I don’t know if it could be much worse than what humans are doing with government,” Smith said.
Rogan argued that an AI-run system might avoid some of the problems he associates with human leadership, particularly greed. “It’s not going to be greedy,” he said.
Smith offered a cautious counterpoint, noting that any AI system would still need to prioritize human well-being. “As long as it determines that human life is valuable,” he replied.
As the discussion shifted to the performance of the Trump administration, both hosts expressed skepticism about the types of figures being placed in influential government roles. Smith used sarcasm to question the idea that political reform had actually occurred.
“This is what draining the swamp looks like,” he said.
Foreign policy, particularly the conflict involving Iran, became another focal point of criticism. Smith argued that the administration failed to properly justify its actions to the public, accusing officials of abandoning earlier promises to avoid prolonged military involvement in the Middle East.
“He didn’t even bother to like sell us on a propaganda campaign about it. It was like the laziest like, just lie just lie us into it,” Smith said.
He added that the administration had previously campaigned on a very different message. “They ran on and promised that we want to get out of this out of this game of fighting wars in the Middle East,” he said.
Rogan then reflected on why many voters, including himself, had supported Trump during the 2024 election cycle. For him, the appeal came down to a few core promises that seemed straightforward at the time.
“He wants closing the border, which I think is a great idea. He wants no wars. That’s enough. Let’s go,” Rogan said.
However, he suggested that those expectations have not been fully met, fueling his growing frustration with the political system more broadly.
The hosts also touched on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and her congressional testimony, where she declined to confirm whether Iran posed an imminent threat, instead leaving that determination to the president. Rogan acknowledged the complexity of her position but maintained that responsibility ultimately falls on leadership.
Throughout the episode, Rogan repeatedly returned to the theme of systemic corruption, questioning whether any part of government still operates cleanly. “Is there anywhere that’s not corrupt?” he asked.
“When we look at the insider trading in Congress, when you look at all these slimy deals that get made, it’s like everything’s dirty. There’s not one part of government you’re like, right there, they nailed it.”
He closed the conversation with a statement about his own willingness to abandon traditional party loyalty altogether if a better alternative emerged. “I’m with whoever makes sense and no one makes sense until AI comes along,” Rogan said.
“I think they’re going to do a really good job. President Perplexity is going to run this country fairly and balanced,” he said.
