Podcast bro Theo Von has widened the chasm between him and Donald Trump, saying his actions are “unbelievable,” “diabolical,” and “f---ing baffling.”
The White House is being abandoned at a rate of knots by MAGA podcasters like Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Joe Rogan, and Von, who were instrumental in the race to the Oval Office.
On Monday’s episode of This Past Weekend, Von spelled out just how far he has drifted from the man he had helped elect, repeatedly rounding on him over his actions in Iran and his stance towards Pope Leo XIV.
“And what American is this helping?” Van asked about the war with Iran, which the Pentagon said cost $11.3bn in its first six days, has left 13 American service members dead, and sent gas costs surging over $4 a gallon.
“Besides the war, the industrial war complex, what American... what guy who’s trying to take care of his family or a single mother who’s a nurse who’s going to work and has to get home and get to her kid’s ballgame and, and has to be both parents. What, what farmer is this helping? What regular person is this helping? I just don’t know. I don’t understand.
“So yeah, that’s what our president’s up to, and it’s f---ing baffling. And it’s sick, and it feels like he’s just been compromised by Israel, by this dark government over there. And I don’t know. It’s f---ing dark. It’s dark.”
The cost of the war is expected to be huge. Speaking to CNBC, Professor Linda Bilmes, a public policy expert at the Harvard Kennedy School, said: “I am certain we will reach $1 trillion for the Iran war.”
It wasn’t the only time in the show that Von clarified how much he’d rejected Trump, and appeared visibly let down by how he had acted over Easter.
Von, 46, was taking calls from listeners when one touched on the blowout between Trump and the pope, which saw the president blast the pontiff for speaking out against the war.
The spat was coupled with a vile threat towards Iran that Trump made on Easter Sunday, which Von also expressed his disgust about. He read out Trump’s Easter morning Truth Social post, which said, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!
“Open the F----n’ Strait, you crazy b—--ds, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!” he raged. “Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP”
“I mean, that’s just… on Easter, that’s unbelievable,” Von said. “You know, when people are hoping for something new. Literally on the day when people are hoping and are believing with their hearts as much as they can and are celebrating something new, a rebirth, a resurrection, a possibility. To write that is, it’s diabolical. It’s insane.”
Von’s harsh words follow a candid conversation with fellow podcast bro Rogan. Both men have had Trump on their shows, and Von’s in particular is widely credited as a key moment in his road to the White House.
But when their episode of The Joe Rogan Experience aired in early April, the sentiment was very different.
“I’m scared, I’m going to be honest with you. I’m scared,” Von told Rogan.
“Well, you should be,” Rogan, 58, replied. “It’s a scary time because this is a real, hot war.”
In total, they mentioned the word “scared” or a variation of it more than 30 times. In one incident, when Von said that “everyone” feels scared, Rogan replied: “They should because a lot of things are getting exposed right now.
“You know, there’s a lot of fraud, and you’re seeing it at the highest levels of government. And people are also scared because no one’s getting in trouble for things, like no one’s getting in trouble for the Epstein files,” Rogan added.
Rogan also raised an eyebrow about the timing of the war.
“One thing, in the past, that leaders have used to cover up problems at home is a f---ing war,” he said. “I’m not saying that’s why they bombed Iran, but that would be a way to do it.”
The White House is working hard to win Rogan back, according to Axios, as keeping the young male voters he and other podcasters reach onside remains vital for Trump, especially ahead of the midterms.
Rogan made a surprise appearance in the Oval Office on Saturday, as Trump signed an executive order he had been pushing for about the use of psychedelic drugs for mental health treatment.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
