CNN —
Former President Donald Trump said on Joe Rogan’s podcast Friday that he is open to eliminating the income tax, while promoting his sweeping tariff proposal and praising the economic policies of the late 19th century.
While President Trump was talking about tariffs, Logan asked him, “Did you come up with the idea of abolishing the income tax and replacing it with tariffs?”
“Well, I get it,” President Trump said in an interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
Logan asked, “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, sure. Why not?” the former president replied. “Because, prepare yourself, our country was relatively the wealthiest in the 1880s and 1890s. The president who was assassinated was named McKinley. He was a customs baron. He spoke beautifully about tariffs.”
“Then around the early 1900s, they stupidly and frankly switched to an income tax. And you know why? Countries put a lot of pressure on the U.S., saying, ‘We don’t want to pay tariffs, so don’t do it.’ Because it was on. They know, believe me, they control our politicians,” Trump said.
President Trump has repeatedly said he plans to impose flat tariffs of 10% or 20% on all imports into the United States, as well as tariffs of 60% or more on all imports from China. Manufacturing industry.
President Trump said in an interview that he believed what he called the “enemy from within” posed a greater threat to the United States than North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, whom he said he had “no problem with” during his presidency. He also said that
“I got to know him very well. I never had any problems with him. If you have a smart problem, if you have a smart and really proper president, a smart If we had a president, we wouldn’t have a problem. I tell people this, but in my opinion, there’s a bigger problem with the enemy from within, and they get upset when I use this word. It’s crazy. But we have an enemy from within. There are some really bad people who really want to fail this country,” Trump said.
President Trump has repeatedly said there are people in the United States who pose a greater threat than foreign adversaries, including Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi.
Hear what Trump told Joe Rogan his plan was for RFK Jr.
The interview comes in the wake of Mr. Rogan’s long-standing comments about not wanting the former president to appear on his podcast, as well as recent attacks by Mr. Trump himself.
“I’m not a Trump supporter in any way. I’ve had several opportunities to have him on my show. I’ve said no every time. I don’t want to help him. I’m not interested in helping,” Logan said on the Lex Fridman Podcast in 2022.
President Trump slammed Logan in August after he praised former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as “the only person I understand.” (Logan later clarified that his praise was not an endorsement.)
“Will it be interesting to see how loudly Joe Rogan gets booed next time he steps into the UFC ring??? MAGA2024,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Posted on.
Logan first started his podcast in 2009. For the past three years, “The Joe Rogan Experience” has consistently been the No. 1 podcast around the world. The show has been highly controversial, with Logan receiving criticism for his skeptical stance on COVID-19, especially during the pandemic.
After recording the podcast in Texas, Trump attended a rally in Michigan and took the stage several hours late to speak, a delay that caused hundreds of people to leave the venue. President Trump said he was late because he was recording a three-hour podcast with Logan, which he called “the longest interview of my life.”
“Sorry, we’re tied up. … I thought we wouldn’t care that much because we’re trying to win,” he said.
President Trump on Friday focused on Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech in Texas featuring music superstar Beyoncé, where she emphasized her advocacy for reproductive rights. In remarks Friday, he accused Vice President Kamala Harris of “partying” and ignoring international turmoil. .
CNN’s Alayna Treene, DJ Judd and Ali Main contributed to this report.
