6 main talking points from Donald Trump's interview with Joe Rogan

Former President Donald Trump appeared as a guest on Joe Rogan's podcast, one of the most popular podcasts in the US, with Election Day just 10 days away.

During the three-hour-long interview, the Republican presidential nominee discussed an array of topics, from his “biggest mistake” as president, to peddling debunked 2020 election fraud claims and even giving his verdict on whether there is extraterrestrial life out there.

No doubt Trump is seeking to appeal to listeners with his latest appearance as Rogan's podcast has 14.5 million Spotify followers and 17.5 million YouTube subscribers, as it is predicted to be a tight race between him and his Democrat rival Vice President Kamala Harris.

Clearly, the 78-year-old felt it was an important platform to talk on as he ended up being nearly three hours late to his own campaign rally in swing state Michigan.

Trump informed the crowd: "We're stepping on the gas" as spoke from a plane flying from Austin, Texas after finishing the podcast interview, it was reported hundreds of supporters left the venue due to delays.

Taking to the stage at 10 pm, Trump apologised to his supporters and added: "We got so tied up, but I figured you wouldn't mind too much because we're trying to win".

Donald Trump on The Joe Rogan Experience podcastYouTube/PowerfulJRE

Meanwhile, Rogan took to Twitter, formerly X to debunk claims that YouTube was censoring Trump's episode.

"There is no issue with YouTube censoring the trump episode. It was just supposed to go live on both Spotify and YouTube at the same time and there was a glitch in Spotify’s upload system and so we delisted the YouTube link until it’s fixed. It should be fine now," he posted.

Here are all the making talking points from the highly-anticipated interview:

Trump and Rogan got on well, despite Rogan's previous comments

In 2022, Rogan said that Trump was "an existential threat to democracy" and would not be interested in having him on his show.

However, the pair seemed to get along well in the interview where they complimented one another and talked about their shared interest in the UFC, as well as their mutual friend Elon Musk.

"You cannot be voting for Kamala. You’re not a Kamala person. I know you. I’ve watched you,” Trump said to Rogan. “You know what, without speaking to you I know you, I think I know you, maybe almost as well as your wife.”

“One of the beautiful things about you is that you freeball,” Rogan said, and described Trump's impression of President Joe Biden as “funny stuff … it’s standup.”

“You need at least the attitude of a comedian when you’re doing this business,” Trump responded. “This is a very tough business.”

Trump reflected on his "biggest mistake" in The White House

During his presidency from 2017-2021, Trump revealed to Rogan his "biggest mistake” was that he "...picked a few people I shouldn’t have picked”.

He further elaborated to describe the people he was referring to as "Neocons or bad people or disloyal people."

“A guy like Kelly, who was a bully but a weak person,” Trump said of his former White House chief-of-staff John Kelly who himself made headlines this week by saying in an interview with The New York Times that Trump "fitted the general definition of a fascist."

While former US National Security Adviser John Bolton was called “an idiot” by Trump but added he ended up being "great".

“He was good in a certain way,” Trump explained. “He’s a nutjob.

"Aevery timeime I had to deal with a country when they saw this whack job standing behind me they said: ‘Oh man, Trump’s going to go to war with us.’ He was with Bush when they went stupidly into the Middle East.”

Trump said he told North Korea's Kim Jong Un to "just relax," and "go to the beach"

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) and US President Donald Trump meet on the south side of the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) on June 30, 2019. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

The topic of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un came up in the interview where Trump shared how he got to know him "very well” despite previous tensions where Trump called Kim “Little rocket man".

Trump said he told Kim to stop building “substantial” weapons and take some leisure time.

"I said: ‘Do you ever do anything else? Why don’t you go take it easy? Go to the beach, relax.

"I said: ‘You’re always building nuclear, you don’t have to do it. Relax!’ I said: ‘Let’s build some condos on your shore.’”

Trump claimed Russia wouldn't have invaded Ukraine if he was President

Speaking to Rogan, Trump recalled an alleged conversation he had with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the matter and said Putin invaded Ukraine as "...he doesn’t respect Biden at all”.

“I said, ‘Vladimir, you're not going in,’ he said. “I used to talk to him all the time.

“I can't tell you what I told him, because I think it would be inappropriate, but someday he'll tell you, but he would have never gone in.”

Trump continued to peddle debunked 2020 election fraud claims

U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on a screen as his supporters cheer during a rally on the National Mall on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation's capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. An "Appeal to Heaven" flag is seen being flown in the crowd.Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images

He may be campaigning for the 2024 election but Trump still insists he didn't lose the 2020 election but didn't provide any evidence to back up his claims.

“I won by like — they say I lost by like — I didn’t lose," he told Rogan.

“How do you think you were robbed? Everybody always cuts you off,” Rogan said.

“What I’d rather do is –we’ll do it another time. I would bring in papers that you would not believe. That election was so crooked," Trump replied.

Trump revealed his views on extraterrestrial life

Extraterrestrial life is often a subject discussed on Rogan's podcast, so of course the podcaster had to probe Trump on what he learned during his time in The White House.

“What did they tell you? How much can you tell?” Rogan asked.

“It’s never been my thing. I have to be honest,” Trump replied. “I’ve never been a believer.”

Though Trump continued: "[But] I interviewed jet pilots that were solid people, perfect. I mean, great pilots, great everything. And they said we saw things sir that were very strange, like a round ball. But it wasn’t a comet or a meteor it was something, and it was going four times faster than an F-22 which is a very fast plane."

“There’s no reason not to [believe]. I mean, there’s no reason not to think that Mars and all these planets don’t have life," he said when asked by Rogan his beliefs on the subject.

“Well, Mars - we’ve had probes there, and rovers, and I don’t think there’s any life there,” Rogan said.

“Maybe it’s life that we don’t know about," Trump replied.

Watch the full interview with Donald Trump, on the Joe Rogan podcast's YouTube channel.

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