On Saturday, Joe Rogan offered the Covid vaccine enthusiast Peter Hotez $100,000 to the charity of his choice if he would debate 2024 Democratic presidential Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after Hotez posted a Vice article on Twitter accusing Rogan of promoting ‘disinformation’ about the vaccines. Hotez, a professor of molecular virology at Baylor College, declined. The Epoch Times has more.
In response to Hotez’s post, Rogan asked him to debate. “Peter, if you claim what RFKjr is saying is ‘misinformation’, I am offering you $100,000.00 to the charity of your choice if you’re willing to debate him on my show with no time limit,” he wrote.
“Peter. Let’s finally have the respectful, congenial, informative debate that the American people deserve,” Kennedy also wrote in response.
After Rogan’s call for a debate, Hotez issued a now-deleted Twitter post: “Be serious Joe, that’s what you throw for your hunting buddies on a weekend.”
“A $50 million endowment (which You/Spotify/ RFK Jr can easily afford), not for me but so we can continue making low-cost patent-free vaccines for the world’s poor. Preceded by RFK Jr’s public apology,” he wrote.
Hotez, a frequent proponent of COVID-19 vaccines who appeared on Rogan’s podcast several years ago, also wrote that he would be “happy to come on and clear the air, while also extending a counteroffer to Musk, inviting him to visit his vaccine laboratories and “learn more about our work.”
But Rogan, calling his response a “non-answer,” said that he publicly wrote the comment due to Hotez’s decision to share the Vice article.
“I challenged you publicly because you publicly quote tweeted and agreed with that [expletive] Vice article,” Rogan wrote. “If you’re really serious about what you stand for, you now have a massive opportunity for a debate that will reach the largest audience a discussion like this has ever had. If you think someone else is better qualified, suggest that person.”
Hotez also wrote: “I’m happy to come on and have a meaningful discussion. I respect you and your show and I don’t want an adversarial relationship. I think we can make some progress.”
Worth reading in full.
You can listen to Joe Rogan’s interview with RFK Jr. on Spotify here.
Stop Press: The Mail has more on the same story here, pointing out that Elon Musk has waded in taking Rogan’s side.
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