7 key takeaways from Poilievre’s Joe Rogan interview

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sat down for a more than two-hour-long interview on The Joe Rogan Experience this week.

Rogan’s show ranks near or at the top of podcast charts on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts — with over 20 million subscribers on YouTube alone.

The episode was posted online on Thursday after the interview was recorded Wednesday.

Poilievre told reporters that he used his appearance to argue against U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.

“One of the biggest leverage points we have to fight for tariff-free trade, to fight for our auto, steel, aluminum and lumber workers, is the goodwill of the American people,” he said on Thursday morning.

While the two did discuss tariffs, they also covered a range of other topics — including Trump’s 51st state taunts, Poilievre’s relationship with Prime Minister Mark Carney and mixed martial arts (MMA).

Here are some key takeaways from the interview.

Strong words for Trump

Early on in the interview, Rogan asked Poilievre about Trump’s repeated suggestion that Canada should become the 51st state and whether that had an impact on his chances in last year’s election.

Poilievre didn’t touch on how Trump’s taunts impacted the election (he said he tries to “live in the present”), but did firmly reject the notion that Canada could join the U.S.

“We’re very proudly Canadian so we’re never gonna be the 51st state,” Poilievre said.

“I just wish he’d knock that s–t off so that we can get back to talking about the things that we could do as two separate countries that are actually friends.”

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Rogan appeared to agree with Poilievre, saying the 51st state comment was “a crazy thing to say.”

The Conservative leader went on to criticize Trump’s policy of slapping tariffs on a number of Canadian goods, arguing it makes life more expensive for Americans.

“We should get the tariffs out because there’s so much we could be doing together as neighbours and partners if we got rid of those tariffs,” Poilievre said.

Relationship with Carney

When asked if he has spoken with Trump, Poilievre said he is leaving those talks to Carney and his government.

“I believe in the rule of one prime minister at a time,” he told Rogan.

While that’s not out of step with what the Conservative leader has said in the past, Poilievre did say that he’s been in touch with Carney while touring the U.S. this week.

“Even in my visit down here, I’m sending him text messages to tell him what’s going on, to try and support his work because we both want what’s best for Canada,” Poilievre said.

Later in the interview, Rogan gave Poilievre the chance to criticize Carney for not “stealing” enough Conservative ideas — but Poilievre refused to do so.

“I won’t criticize him on foreign soil … we have a mutual respect,” Poilievre said.

Thoughts on medically assisted dying

The two also discussed medical assistance in dying (MAID) and when it should be administered.

Rogan referenced statistics that suggest five per cent of all deaths in Canada are a result of MAID, calling that figure “insane.”

Poilievre and the Conservatives voted against the legislation that legalized MAID in 2016. But the party leader told Rogan he thinks “people should have the choice.”

Poilievre did reiterate his party’s stance against incoming changes to Canada’s laws that would allow people suffering solely from mental illnesses to request MAID.

“We have to do more to give people hope when they’re suffering with mental illness — give people a sense that they can take back control of their lives,” Poilievre said, citing the promotion of fitness as a way to combat mental health issues.

How do you like them apples?

At one point Rogan asked Poilievre about his now famous apple-eating interview with a local journalist.

In the 2023 interview, Poilievre bats away suggestions about populism and politics by repeatedly questioning the reporter all while chomping down an apple in an orchard.

While Poilievre posted the video on his social media platforms, the Conservative leader told Rogan that he wasn’t aware he was being filmed at the time.

“I didn’t even realize I was being taped. I thought it was a print interview,” Poilievre said, and that a staff member had filmed the encounter.

“We dumped this 15-minute video on the internet and no one noticed it. And like three weeks later, my phone blows up and people say, ‘Hey, how about that apple?’

“I’m like, ‘What are they talking about this apple thing?'”

Dismissing environmental concerns as ‘bulls–t’

Rogan asked Poilievre about some of his policies, including what his first move would be if he became prime minister.

Poilievre responded that his first priority would be to “unblock” Canadian resources, including natural gas, critical minerals and fertilizers.

When Rogan asked if environmental concerns hold up such projects, Poilievre said that’s the “ostensible” reason before blaming government bureaucracy for delaying resource projects.

Rogan pressed the Conservative leader on environmental concerns, specifically pointing to oil extraction.

“If you do have an impact on the environment, that impact is often permanent — and then it’s devastating. I’ve seen some of the oil extraction that they’ve done up in Alberta, where you look at the area, it looks like scorched earth,” Rogan suggested.

Poilievre pushed back on that claim, saying it’s “the most responsible oil extraction in the world.”

“At the end of the day, the people who live there are very healthy and very happy. And they’re the strongest supporters of the expansion of the oilsands,” he said, dismissing most environmental concerns as “bulls–t.”

“It’s been a really disgusting PR campaign by extremist environmentalists and frankly, some of our competitors, to try and make our industry look bad.”

Castro conspiracy theory

Rogan has been heavily critical of the Canadian government in recent years, specifically when Justin Trudeau was prime minister. The podcaster said on an episode last year he’d rather go to Russia than Canada because of the government.

Early on in the conversation with Poilievre, Rogan repeated a false claim that Trudeau is the son of former Cuban president Fidel Castro, which he called a “great conspiracy theory.”

Poilievre was rhyming off some of the books he had read in his youth, including a Castro biography, when Rogan cut in and called him “Justin’s dad.”

But Poilievre rejected the claim.

“No, not Justin’s dad,” Poilievre said while chuckling, before going on to talk about some of his qualms with the policies of Pierre Trudeau.

The Conservative leader also encouraged Rogan to come to Canada.

‘I would vote for you 100%’

Throughout the podcast, Rogan complimented Poilievre and his politics and even offered an endorsement near the end of the interview.

“Your message resonates with me and I think if I was Canadian I would vote for you 100 per cent,” the host said.

Midway through their discussion, Poilievre said he was optimistic about his chances in the next election — whenever it may come.

“I will get there. Canadians do things through evolution, not revolution. So I’m just going to keep pushing my ideas and I think overwhelmingly we will win the next election,” he said.