Tulsi Gabbard: Former US Congresswoman from Hawaii, military veteran, and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, here announcing her departure from the Democratic Party to become an independent.
What this episode covers
Joe Rogan and Tulsi Gabbard discuss her decision to leave the Democratic Party, which she argues has been captured by ideological zealots who foment a culture of fear and abandon free speech. They cover congressional insider trading, transgender ideology in schools and sports, media bias against dissenting voices, and the corrupting influence of money in politics. The bulk of the conversation centers on Gabbard's alarm about the US-Russia proxy war in Ukraine, the military-industrial complex, and what she sees as an imminent and underreported risk of nuclear war. They close on healthcare, food, and the value of long-form podcast conversations.
Recommended on this episode
What Is a Woman?
Matt Walsh
“that documentary is so good because Matt Walsh simply asked questions and he doesn't he does it deadpan”— Joe Rogan
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Irreversible Damage
Abigail Shrier
“according to Abigail schreier who wrote that book uh irreversible damage right with young girls it's up an extraordinary amount”— Joe Rogan
Chernobyl
HBO
“everyone's seen the pictures and obviously now with that Chernobyl series I think that Netflix did um more and more people know the story”— Tulsi Gabbard
Adam Ruins Everything
Adam Conover
“I had this guy on the podcast his name's Adam Conover and he has a show Adam questions everything or Adam ruins everything”— Joe Rogan
The Colbert Report
Comedy Central
“he was on The Colbert Report back when it was on Comedy Central and he was essentially bragging about how they are trying to lure the Ukraine”— Joe Rogan
Foreign Affairs
Council on Foreign Relations
“is the editor of Foreign Affairs magazine Gideon Rose Foreign Affairs magazine is the magazine for the Council on Foreign Relations”— Joe Rogan
Big reveals from this episode
- Gabbard announces she is leaving the Democratic Party because she sees it as unsavable and believes she can have more impact from the outside as an independent.
- Gabbard explains how her 2019 debate exchange exposing Kamala Harris's prosecutorial record effectively sank Harris's presidential hopes and triggered media blackouts against her.
- Asked what happens if the current path continues, Gabbard says it leads to World War III and a nuclear holocaust if nothing changes.
- Gabbard says she would seriously consider running for president again if she felt she could pull the country back from the brink of nuclear war.
- She frames the Ukraine conflict as a US proxy war against Russia whose ultimate objective is regime change in Moscow.
Worth remembering
- Joe notes Paul Pelosi's stock trading record outperforms Warren Buffett and George Soros, calling it obvious insider trading.
- In a played clip, JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon says the bank has no policy against funding new oil and gas, calling a ban 'the road to hell for America.'
- Joe relays an anecdote about a school installing a litter box in a girls' bathroom for a student who identifies as a furry.
- They discuss a Manchester University PhD student who published a research paper documenting masturbating to Shota comic images of young boys.
- Gabbard says roughly 50 Republicans voted against a major Ukraine funding package while zero Democrats opposed it.
- Gabbard recounts visiting Chernobyl, where fruit on apple trees remained radioactive decades later.
- She notes nearly all US-Russia nuclear non-proliferation treaties have been stripped away, leaving only one that is eroding.
- They observe the US and New Zealand are the only two countries on Earth that allow pharmaceutical advertising on television.