Joe Rogan recently recounted a peculiar habit of former President Donald Trump during a conversation with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang – a barrage of all-caps text messages that practically leap off the screen. Rogan described receiving unexpected texts from Trump, often proclaiming sentiments like “USA is RESPECTED again,” rendered in a booming, oversized font thanks to the iPhone’s automatic enlargement of capitalized words.
These weren’t carefully crafted statements, but rather spontaneous bursts of communication. Rogan characterized Trump as an “odd guy” who would reach out with calls or texts seemingly out of nowhere, disrupting the usual flow of things. Huang, who has also experienced these abrupt communications, nodded in agreement, acknowledging the president’s unpredictable nature.
Huang offered a surprising perspective, suggesting the Trump seen behind closed doors differs significantly from his public persona. He described the former president as an unexpectedly attentive listener, possessing a remarkable memory for details shared in conversation. Rogan concurred, noting a tendency for public narratives to overshadow more nuanced aspects of Trump’s character.
The conversation didn’t shy away from controversial moments. Rogan brought up Trump’s recent outburst at a press briefing, where he directed a pointed insult at Bloomberg White House correspondent Catherine Lucey, telling her to be “quiet, quiet piggy.” While acknowledging the inappropriateness of the remark, Rogan admitted to finding the incident, in a strange way, “objectively funny.”
Rogan also touched upon his own public endorsement of Trump shortly before the 2024 election, a decision some believe may have influenced the outcome. However, he quickly steered the discussion back to his personal interactions with the former president, emphasizing the contrast between public perception and private behavior.
He reiterated that Trump often presents a vastly different image away from the spotlight, a complexity often lost in the headlines. Rogan described him as “very different than what people think of him,” and fundamentally different in his approach to the presidency than many might assume.
Ultimately, Rogan painted a picture of Trump as a “79-year-old kid,” prone to impulsive actions and exhibiting a childlike quality that often clashes with the gravity of his former office. The former president has yet to publicly respond to these observations shared on the widely listened-to Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
