Podcast host Joe Rogan offered a nuanced but deeply skeptical take on the growing popularity of democratic socialism during a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, arguing that many young supporters are motivated by compassion but fail to appreciate the practical consequences of the policies they advocate for.

Rogan said he believes many democratic socialists genuinely want to improve society, but warned that implementing their vision would inevitably require an enormous expansion of government authority.

“The idea comes from a good place,” Rogan said. “I know in their heart of hearts they think that they’re being kind and they think they’re doing the right thing. They really do.”

“They think they’re being inclusive, they think they’re righting the wrongs of colonialism,” he continued. “And they think that this idea of democratic socialism is a really good idea, because there are some examples of socialist policies that do work, like the fire department.”

'It Always Comes Down to Power'

While acknowledging that certain publicly funded services function well, Rogan argued that broader socialist proposals inevitably run into a fundamental problem.

“The problem with enforcing any of this stuff that they don’t understand is it always comes down to power,” he said.

“You have to have massive authority, and usually guns, because you can’t just steal people’s money. They’re not going to let you.”

Rogan illustrated his point by imagining an extremely high-income tax.

“They’re not going to let you just come in and decide, ‘Hey, we devised a new tax where everybody who makes more than $500,000 a year, everything over that, you have to give 100% to the state,’” he said.

Government Is Already Too Inefficient, Rogan Says

Rogan argued that giving more resources to government would only magnify existing problems with waste and bureaucracy.

“The f*cking program that you have in place that takes the taxes and disseminates it is massively flawed and corrupt,” he said.

“It’s corrupt! It’s filled with waste. FILLED with waste.”

Pointing to California, Rogan cited reports involving billions of dollars spent on homelessness programs.

“There’s scammers all over the place,” he said. “You’ve got $24 billion missing in just the homeless [programs] in California, and then they veto the audits when everybody’s trying to find out [what happened].”

“So just saying, ‘More taxes is what we need’ is f*cking nuts!”

Democratic Socialists Gain Momentum

Rogan's comments come as democratic socialist candidates have scored a string of high-profile victories in Democratic primaries, particularly in New York.

Among the winners are Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez, both members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). They were backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, himself a DSA member, as the organization continues expanding its influence in Democratic politics.

Beyond advocating socialist economic policies, the organization has criticized President Donald Trump's immigration agenda and has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, while calling for fundamental changes to American foreign policy.

The organization's growing prominence has become one of the defining internal debates within the Democratic Party.

A Growing Political Conversation

Rogan has long resisted identifying himself with either major political party, but his podcast has become one of the country's most influential political platforms, particularly among younger male voters. His comments reflect a broader debate unfolding across the political spectrum as democratic socialist candidates gain visibility while critics argue their proposals would dramatically expand the size and power of government.

The White House is firing back at Tucker Carlson and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene after the pair publicly unveiled plans to build a new "America First" political party outside the GOP.

In a statement released Wednesday, the Trump administration dismissed Carlson, Greene, former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) as disgruntled former allies whose political influence is being vastly overstated.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle delivered the administration's sharpest rebuke yet of the emerging movement.

“President Trump created the greatest political movement in the history of politics with the MAGA movement, and he remains the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party,” Ingle said in a statement shared with Wired.

“The President is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress and continuing to lower costs for working families. Meanwhile, this photo represents an embarrassing collection of mostly whiny turncoats who dramatically overestimate their influence and relevance.”

'The Movement Has Begun'

The White House response comes days after Greene posted a photo showing herself, Carlson, Kent, Massie and several others gathered around a dinner table topped with chocolate chip cookies and glasses of milk.

Greene made clear the meeting was more than a casual get-together.

“We said no more foreign wars and we meant it and supported Donald Trump because he made that promise. But he’s betrayed us all,” Greene wrote.

“Our commitment is America First for all Americans, right, left, and center.”

“The movement has begun.”

The gathering marked the most public sign yet that several high-profile former Trump allies are actively discussing the creation of a new political party.

A Growing Split Over Foreign Policy

Carlson has spent months arguing that both Republicans and Democrats have abandoned ordinary Americans in favor of foreign conflicts, particularly following the administration launching the Iran War.

Earlier this summer, Carlson announced he was helping build a third party, saying the existing political system no longer represented voters who oppose overseas military intervention.

That announcement came shortly after Carlson declared he would no longer support Republican candidates. Greene made a similar announcement soon afterward.

“How could I or any American voter support a political party that's not loyal to the United States?” Carlson said at the time.

“That puts the interests of a foreign country above those of its own citizens. It's not possible to vote for people like that, and I'm not going to.”

Carlson has repeatedly argued that President Trump's Middle East policies have been overly influenced by support for Israel, a claim the president has denied.

“If anything, I might've forced Israel's hand,” Trump said earlier this year when asked about the Iran War.

For now the White House appears focused on containing a budding rebellion from some of Trump's most prominent former allies;one it insists poses little threat to the president's continued dominance of the Republican Party.

Speculation over Tucker Carlson’s political future continues to build, with journalist Mark Halperin and podcast host Megyn Kelly offering dramatically different views on whether the former Fox News star will launch a third-party presidential bid in 2028—and whether such an effort could meaningfully reshape the race.

The debate unfolded on The Megyn Kelly Show, where the pair discussed recent social media posts from Carlson, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and other former Trump allies hinting at the possibility of a new political party.

The group has become increasingly critical of President Donald Trump over issues like the Iran War, the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and what they view as the MAGA movement's departure from its "America First" roots.

Halperin dismissed the idea that Carlson is seriously preparing a White House campaign.

“Tucker’s as likely to run for president as I am to move to India and start my cricket career,” Halperin joked. “I just don’t think it’s going to happen.”

Kelly wasn't convinced.

“Disagree,” she responded.

Halperin acknowledged Carlson could theoretically enter the race but questioned whether he would mount a serious campaign.

“Well, he might do it as a lark, but as a credible campaign, I don’t believe it,” he said. “I don’t believe the support’s there for him.”

Kelly Says Carlson May Be Serious

Kelly argued Carlson's growing frustration with the Republican Party could push him toward a bid she previously would have considered unthinkable.

“I gotta tell you, I disagree,” Kelly said. “I haven’t talked directly with him about it, but I believe Tucker’s so disgusted in the neocons and what’s happened in the Republican Party that for the first time he would consider it.”

Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent—who resigned earlier this year in protest of the administration's Iran policy—has publicly said he and others have encouraged Carlson to consider leading a new political movement.

Last week, Carlson and Greene posted a photo alongside Kent and several allies gathered around a table, declaring that "the movement has begun."

The Third-Party Challenge

Halperin argued that even if Carlson wanted to run, America's electoral system presents enormous obstacles.

“I’ve spent a lot of time on this, and starting a third party is nearly impossible in our system,” Halperin said. “It takes a lot, a lot stuff that that group doesn’t have sitting around Tucker’s house chatting in flannel.”

He pointed to the significant hurdles of securing ballot access in all 50 states and qualifying for presidential debates.

Kelly countered that Carlson wouldn't necessarily need to win outright to dramatically affect the outcome of the election.

She argued he could siphon millions of votes away from the Republican nominee and fundamentally reshape the race as a spoiler candidate.

Halperin agreed that such a scenario would pose a serious threat to the GOP—if Carlson could overcome the ballot access hurdles.

“If magically they could be on the general election ballot and in the debates, yeah, that’d be doom for the Republican Party,” Halperin said. “Doom. I mean, unequivocally.”

Kelly suggested debate qualification may be more attainable than in previous cycles because the Commission on Presidential Debates no longer controls the process.

Halperin remained skeptical.

“The Republican nominee would no sooner step on the debate stage than they would eat a bag of tacks,” he said, arguing no GOP nominee would willingly elevate Carlson by sharing a debate stage with him.

White House Fires Back

The speculation comes as Carlson prepares to make a "major announcement" on his YouTube channel Wednesday evening.

The White House has already sought to dismiss the effort.

In a statement Wednesday, spokesperson Davis Ingle blasted Carlson, Greene, and their allies as disaffected former supporters with little political relevance.

“President Trump created the greatest political movement in the history of politics with the MAGA movement, and he remains the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party,” Ingle said.

Whether Carlson ultimately launches a third-party campaign remains an open question. But even without an official candidacy, the public debate over his political future underscores the increasingly visible ideological divide within the conservative movement as Republicans begin looking toward the post-Trump era.

Conservative commentator Dave Rubin believes Vice President JD Vance enters the early conversation on the 2028 Republican presidential nomination with one significant political liability: his association with Tucker Carlson.

Speaking on Sean Hannity’s podcast Tuesday, Rubin argued that while Vance remains a strong contender to lead the GOP after President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio would likely appeal to a broader coalition of voters.

“I think [Rubio’s] coalition would be bigger than JD’s,” Rubin said. “JD is a little bit in that Tucker orbit, that’s gonna cost the Republicans a little bit I think. Maybe not a ton, but I think [with] Rubio, there aren’t those worries about him.”

Rubin suggested Carlson’s increasingly combative posture toward the Republican establishment—and toward Trump himself over foreign policy—could become baggage for Vance if the vice president seeks the White House.

Whether Carlson ultimately proves to be a political liability for Vance may depend less on their personal relationship than on the issue that drove the biggest wedge between Carlson and President Trump: the war with Iran. Carlson emerged as one of the loudest conservative critics of the administration's approach, arguing it betrayed Trump's long-standing "America First" promise to avoid new foreign entanglements. That position resonated with a sizable segment of Trump's 2024 coalition, exposing one of the most significant ideological fractures within the modern MAGA movement.

As the conflict has continued, public polling has suggested support for the military campaign has waned, including among Republicans, raising questions about how the issue will shape the party's future leadership contest. If the conflict becomes widely seen as costly or unsuccessful, Carlson's non-interventionist message may gain additional credibility within the GOP, potentially making Vance's relationship with him less of a liability than Rubin predicts.

Rubin also criticized both Carlson and Megyn Kelly, arguing the two media figures have gone “completely off the rails” in recent years. Rubin specifically dismissed claims advanced by Carlson that President Trump has been unduly influenced by Israel.

Rubin also noted that Rubio's background could provide political advantages in a general election, pointing to the secretary of state's Cuban heritage and ability to speak Spanish. While emphasizing he did not want to play "the identity politics game," Rubin suggested those factors could broaden Rubio's appeal.

Carlson and Vance Have Long Been Closely Linked

Before joining Trump's ticket in 2024, Vance was a frequent guest on Carlson's highly rated Fox News program, where the two developed a close political relationship. Carlson was widely reported to have been among the conservative voices encouraging Trump to select Vance as his running mate.

The connection extended into the administration itself. Carlson's son, Buckley Carlson, served as Vance's deputy press secretary before leaving the position earlier this year.

Rubin Slams Carlson Over Charlie Kirk

Rubin also used the interview to criticize Carlson over his handling of the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination.

According to Rubin, Carlson damaged his standing within the conservative movement by interviewing white nationalist Nick Fuentes just months after Kirk's death.

“For Tucker to put Fuentes on three months after Charlie died, [after] Charlie was killed—Fuentes was the only guy Charlie didn’t want as part of his movement,” Rubin said.

“There was only one name he ever said that about, and it was Fuentes.”

“Wow,” Hannity responded.

Rubin said that episode fundamentally changed the way he viewed Carlson.

Carlson's Political Future

Carlson's relationship with the Republican Party has also shifted dramatically in recent months.

The former Fox News host has publicly declared that he no longer supports the GOP and has criticized the Trump administration over its foreign policy, particularly the Iran War. He has also appeared alongside former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as the two explore launching a new "America First" political party to challenge both Republicans and Democrats.

Watch the interview.