Featured Image Credit: Anadolu / Contributor via Getty
Joe Rogan had a bizarre interaction with U.S. President Donald Trump at the recent UFC Freedom 250 event, with the chief of state issuing an unexpected and ominous response after the podcast host joked about a 'terrorist attack' on the White House.
Revealing the encounter during Episode 181 of The Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show, the UFC commentator recalled:
"I said to Trump, 'I hope we don't die in a terrorist attack'. He does, 'We gotta go somehow'. I go, 'What the f***, dude?'"
Rogan was understandably left stunned by Trump's wild response, even after the president has become known for his unexpected and often incongruous comments in recent years.
Advert
It's perhaps a reflection of his perspective after several assassination attempts since he announced his intention to run for president again, and rumors about his allegedly deteriorating health could perhaps also contribute to Trump's venture into predeterminism.
That's still doesn't take the shock out of the situation – especially considering the UFC event was held on the president's 80th birthday – and Rogan was almost left speechless despite his close relationship with Trump.
These comments might have also left Rogan more anxious than he already seemed to be, with the commentator and comedian previously expressing his concerns over the safety of the event held at the White House, as per the Independent.
During Episode 2507 of his podcast, Rogan sarcastically implied that plans for UFC Freedom 250 to be held outside weren't a great idea, joking that it "seems like a good safe place to be, huh?"
Adding to his concerns, Rogan noted: "Everyone's going to know where all the world leaders are going to be. We're all going to be stuck sitting in that spot for six hours calling fights. Super safe. I feel completely safe.
"I think world championship fights should be in a controlled environment out of respect for the athletes and how difficult it is to compete professionally in a world title," Rogan added, and there's a good chance that Trump's seeming expectation of death only further amplified his feelings of risk.
Everything went off without too much of a hitch though – and Rogan even called it the 'greatest' event of 'all time' that he had across his career – yet information after the event revealed how the FBI managed to disrupt plans for a terrorist attack against attendees of the event.
Investigators suggested that the would-be attackers planned on using explosive drones on the nearby buildings, triggering an evacuation that would then hypothetically place their target in the sight lines of pre-positioned snipers.
Several suspects were taken into custody in the days prior to the event, although it remains unclear who they were targeting beyond the fact that it was merely one of the confirmed attendees.
