Joe Rogan had Donald Trump assassination conspiracy theory as would-be killer jailed for life
Joe Rogan doubled down on his "conspiracy theories are real" claim just two months before Ryan Routh's attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida.On Wednesday, Routh, 59, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, almost 19 months after he was spotted hiding in shrubbery holding an SKS-style rifle just outside the fence of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, approximately 400 yards away from the then-presidential candidate.Along with his life imprisonment, Routh, a roofer and Russo-Ukrainian war activist, also received other long sentences to be served concurrently, which include attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate.READ MORE: Donald Trump suffers blow in bid to take over Washington golf coursesREAD MORE: Donald Trump's Super Bowl plans leaked after Bad Bunny controversyThe September 15, 2024, incident occurred just two months after Trump survived yet another assassination attempt while speaking at a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, when he was shot and wounded in his upper right ear by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks.Crooks had fired eight rounds from an AR-15–style rifle from a nearby building's roof, killing an audience member and critically injuring two others, before he was shot dead by the Counter Sniper Team of the United States Secret Service.The incident is regarded as the Secret Service's most significant security failure since the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981, with the lack of security at the rally and public information about Crooks spawning numerous conspiracy theories.Public opinion polls show that over half of Americans believe Crooks did not act alone. One such person is Rogan, who, after previously joking about living "in the Matrix" following the assassination attempt, soon doubled down on his claim that "conspiracies are real"."The more you read about it, the more you're, like, 'What is going on?'" Rogan admitted on his "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast in July 2024, having been left stunned at the incompetence shown by the U.S. Secret Service that led to Trump being shot in the ear."They knew that there was a suspicious person 10 minutes before Donald Trump went on stage; they still let him go on stage. They saw him on the f------ roof and they didn't engage. They saw him on the roof with a rifle. They wouldn't put Secret Service agents on the roof because they said there was a slope to the roof, and it would be dangerous."Rogan then offered a disclaimer, confirming he wasn't speculating on an alternative narrative but reminding his fans that he doesn't always believe the story the government offers the public."I'm not accusing anybody of anything - just want to be real clear - but they have organized assassinations before," Rogan added. "And when they organize assassinations, it looks just like that.""And when they organize assassinations, one of the things they like to do is have some f------ loser kill the president, and then they kill the f------ loser, and that's a wrap. This kid kind of, like, stops all the leads."He continued: "If I was some shadowy intelligence agency that did these, you know, undercover operations that are a little sketchy, I'd find kids like [the shooter]. That's your moneymaker. That's how you do it.'If you've got a plan and you want to do something, you get some guy that's basically got nothing going on in life and then you know you mentor him, become friends with him."[...] Something [to make the potential shooter say], 'Wow, I wish I was a secret agent.' And then you tell this guy, you tell this kid, 'Hey, you could help America. We can work you into the program. You could be one of us.'"
