Trump appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast for almost three hours: Here are the top moments

Former President Trump recorded “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast for nearly three hours on Saturday.

Recorded in Austin, Texas, the podcast allowed the Republican presidential candidate to gain exposure to Rogan's 14.5 million followers on Spotify and 17.6 million followers on YouTube. Rogan, the most listened-to podcast host in the country, has a huge influence on the young male voters Trump wants to reach.

Here are the key takeaways from the podcast, which aired on Friday.

Trump asks Rogan to explain why he's getting bad publicity: “You said a lot of wild crap…”

While explaining the process of selecting political nominations after taking office, Trump discussed his original nomination of John Bolton, who served as White House national security adviser. In 2019, Trump fired Bolton, who remains a staunch critic. Trump described how Phil Ruffin, a fellow American businessman, warned him that Bolton was a “bad guy,” but by then Trump had already hired him.

Podcast host Joe Rogan told former President Trump he became so popular with Americans because of the “wild shit” he says. (The Joe Rogan Experience)

“And he was right. But he was good in a way. He's a complete idiot. And every time I've dealt with a country, when they see that idiot standing behind me, they're like, 'Man, Trump's going to go.' make war with us.' “He was with Bush when they stupidly went to the Middle East. I never should have done that as a civilian, so I always got more attention than other people.”

“It wasn’t like I tried,” Trump said. “Actually, I don’t know exactly why. Maybe you can tell me.”

“I could definitely tell you,” Rogan offered. “You said a lot of wild stuff. …And then CNN, in all its brilliance, made you much more popular by highlighting your wild stuff. And they pushed you up in the polls because people were tired of someone talking like that.” Bulls – prepared politician jargon. And even if they didn't agree, at least they knew who this guy was. That's him.

Rogan tells Trump: “The rebels are now Republicans,” agrees Elon Musk

“The rebels are Republicans now, but you want to be invisible, you want to be punk rock, you want to defy the system? You’re a conservative now,” Rogan said. “This is so crazy. And then the liberals are now in favor of silencing criticism. They are for online censorship. … They regulate free speech and now they regulate the First Amendment. This is a piece of cake.”

Rogan is seen at a weigh-in ceremony for the mixed martial arts event UFC 292 on Friday, August 18, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

Elon Musk, who took over Twitter – now X – in 2022, responded to the clip, writing: “Exactly.”

“They know they are targeting their political opponent,” Trump replied to Rogan. “I was investigated more than Alfonse Capone.”

Trump said he told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to “just relax” and “go to the beach.”

In a meeting with former President Obama during the presidential transition, Trump recalled: “Obama thought we were going to war with North Korea,” Trump said. Rogan recalled how Trump referred to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as “Little Rocket Man” early in his first term.

“I said, 'Little Rocket Man, you're going to burn in hell.' And it was hard,” Trump said. “I got to know him better than anyone else. And I said, 'Do you ever do anything else? Why don't you take it easy and relax? Go to the beach?' You know, I jokingly said, “You just don’t have to build condos.”

Trump arrives for a campaign rally at Avflight at Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Michigan on October 25, 2024. Trump is expected to hold rallies in Michigan and Pennsylvania on Saturday before wrapping up the weekend with a rally on Sunday at New York's Madison Square Garden. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)