Joe Rogan asks Bernie Sanders if he will run for president again, what he would do on day one

Podcaster Joe Rogan asked Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Tuesday about whether he will run for president again, and Sanders revealed the key issue he would prioritize.

Sanders spoke about how he has called to pause military aid to Israel until they show more leniency toward starving citizens in Gaza by ending their blockade. Sanders went on to note the difficulty of passing such policy, criticizing Israel’s influence on American politics. He singled out AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) as a key example, noting they “have already knocked off good members of Congress, and they will do it again.”

“So all I’m saying is you got a corrupt campaign finance system, on both sides, which is rejecting the will of the American people and end up supporting powerful special interests,” Sanders said. “And if we do not get a handle on that issue, I worry very much about the future of American democracy.”

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Senator Bernie Sanders spoke on “The Joe Rogan Experience” about the major issues facing America, saying what he thinks needs to be done. (The Joe Rogan Experience/PowerfulJRE YouTube channel screenshot)

“Are you gonna run for president again?” Rogan asked in response.

“I am 83 years of age,” Sanders replied. “I’m not sure the American people would be too enthusiastic -“

Rogan complimented Sanders for still being very “with it” and observed, “I mean, you’re a couple of years older than Biden, right? Think of that. You could be off a lot worse.”

Sanders went on to speak about his “Fight Oligarchy” tour across the country, noting he has attained a wide variety of support from Americans across the political spectrum, and arguing that “there is growing dissatisfaction with the current politics in America, both parties, and people want a new vision, and people want a new vision for America.”

Later in the conversation, Rogan appeared to allude to the 2016 election and encouraged Sanders to imagine an alternate future where “you hadn’t gotten derailed, and they hadn’t conspired against you, and you actually became the Democratic candidate for president, and you won, what would you have done differently?”

Sanders took a moment and asked, “How many hours do we have?”

Rogan assured him they have “all the time in the world” and proceeded to ask, “What would you have done the first day in office?”

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Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves to the crowd during a “Fight Oligarchy” event in Los Angeles, Saturday, April 12, 2025.  (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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“Well, it’s not just the first day in office,” Sanders replied. “I would have dealt with this campaign finance reform issue.”

Sanders argued it would be better for elections to be funded by the government, so that every candidate gets the same amount of money to spend to make their case to the American public.

While some might be concerned about taxpayers footing the bill for campaigns, he argued it “makes a lot more sense than having billionaires fund elections, which is what you got right now.”