NEWSJoe Rogan's 'Tough' Pandemic Question for Gavin Newsom Triggers the California Governor
Joe Rogan hit Gavin Newsom with a 'tough' COVID-19 question on Shawn Ryan's podcast.
July 17 2025, Published 2:23 p.m. ET
Joe Rogan, known for his in-depth ideology and strong approach to worldly matters, sent in a question to California Governor Gavin Newsom during Shawn Ryan’s podcast on July 14.
Rogan sent his question to the podcast host, who declared it a “tough” one to answer before reading it aloud to Newsom.
“Mother------,” the Democratic governor exclaimed before admitting he is a fan of “The Joe Rogan Experience” host.
Joe Rogan's Question for Gavin Newsom
Joe Rogan asked Gavin Newsom if he had 'remorse' for Big Pharma's influence on the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Who will be held accountable for mandating COVID-19 vaccines for children, which were unnecessary and ineffective, and who will take responsibility for the unprecedented increases in myocarditis and cancer cases among them?” asked Rogan.
“Second to that, do you feel any remorse for that draconian decision that was obviously heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical companies’ desire for maximum profit?” he added.
Gavin Newsom Defends Pandemic Approach
Over 1.2 million Americans died from COVID-19.
Newsom answered with a full-throttle response, claiming he had not once caved to the pharmaceutical industry regarding a money-making medical scheme. Instead, he explained how he passed “some of the most progressive laws” against Big Pharma.
The Democratic governor defended how he handled the pandemic, which erupted in January 2020, claiming over 1.2 million lives in America and 7.1 million worldwide, saying he acted aggressively to control the damage caused by COVID-19 in both blue and “red states.”
“I mean, Florida shut down their bars and restaurants before California,” Newsom explained. “The question was, when did we start to unwind some of those restrictions? California was more restrictive, and we were certainly aggressive at scale.”
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Gavin Newsom Comments on Upcoming COVID-19 Report
Gavin Newsom defended the COVID-19 vaccine, saying it 'saves lives.'
When addressing Rogan’s question about vaccines, Newsom claimed they “save lives.” He explained how he utilized “a lot of feedback” from independent advisors regarding their safety.
“I took their advice, not as a doctor, but as a governor. So, with humility — seriously — humility and grace, I’ve asked them to have that report done,” the governor elaborated. “It’s going to be done next month. And it’ll be the only state that I know of that is putting out a truly objective review of what went right and what went wrong.”
'None Of Us Knew What We Were Up Against'
There have been a reported 7+ million COVID-19 deaths worldwide.
Newsom noted how “everyone” is a “genius now in hindsight” with their pandemic and vaccination research, adding, “But at the time, none of us knew what we were up against, including the President of the United States, who I worked very closely with.”
Although the COVID-19 virus has had less of an impact as the years go by, its vaccination is still controversial among many skeptics like Rogan.
