Joe Rogan’s past comments about conspiracy theories circulated online this week after a federal judge sentenced Ryan Wesley Routh to life in prison for trying to assassinate President Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon sentenced Routh, 59, on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Fort Pierce, Florida, to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to court coverage by The Associated Press and Reuters. Cannon also added seven years for a firearms charge, the AP reported.
Routh was convicted by a federal jury in September 2025 on five counts related to the Sept. 15, 2024, plot, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assault of a federal officer, the U.S. Justice Department said in a news release after the verdict. Prosecutors claimed Routh planned the attack for weeks and tracked Trump’s movements before arriving at the golf course, Reuters reported.
Authorities stated a Secret Service agent spotted Routh hiding in brush outside the course perimeter with a rifle aimed at the fairway while Trump was on the property, leading to Routh’s arrest after he fled. The AP noted that officers found a rifle, ammunition, and other items at the scene.
During sentencing, Cannon described the actions as a deliberate attempt to take a life. “It’s clear to me that you engaged in a premeditated plot to take a human life,” she said, according to Reuters. Both Reuters and the AP reported that Routh gave a lengthy statement in court that did not address the case’s facts, and the judge rejected requests for a lighter sentence.
🚨 BREAKING: Ryan Routh sentenced to life in prison, plus 7 years, for attempting to assassinate Trump at Florida golf course pic.twitter.com/TTGCLed0q4
— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 4, 2026
As news of the life sentence spread, social media users shared a clip from Rogan’s podcast that preceded the Florida incident. In July 2024, Rogan responded to a debate about whether he was promoting a conspiracy theory regarding an earlier attempt on Trump’s life by stating that conspiracies do happen.
“Listen, conspiracies are real,” Rogan said on The Joe Rogan Experience, and he referenced the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, according to a Newsweek report that resurfaced this week.
Rogan’s comments often attract attention because his podcast is widely popular and frequently influences online discussions about politics, as his audience is mostly young, independent, or right-leaning voters
The Justice Department stated after the 2025 verdict that Routh’s plot amounted to a “planned sniper attack” targeting Trump while he was a major presidential candidate. Reuters reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the attack and praised the prosecution following the life sentence.
Routh’s case was one of two major assassination attempts aimed at Trump during the 2024 campaign season, with the Florida incident occurring weeks after a separate attack in Pennsylvania by Thomas Crooks, who was inches away from taking out the billionaire president.
Rogan, who famously endorsed Trump, has since soured on the president, particularly due to immigration enforcement targeting immigrants who do not have a criminal record. The JRE host has also criticized a number of Trump’s statements, including his reaction to the tragic death of Rob Reiner.
