Comedian and podcast host Theo Von is speaking out about potential U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, saying he “doesn’t understand” why America would get involved in the Middle East fight.
In a recent podcast episode, Von addressed the possibility that Israel is “trying to get us into a war with Iran,” referring to the United States.
“I don’t trust the Israel leader at all,” Von continued. “I don’t believe anything that guy says, and I don’t think that our soldiers should have to go and defend stuff that they start.”
“I’m not a soldier, so I’m obviously speaking out of turn. I’m not even brave enough to serve, so there’s that element,” he added. “But that is kind of how I feel, I guess.”
The popular podcast host questioned the process behind the decision to increase U.S. military involvement overseas and asked when the appropriate time is to speak out against such a decision.
“So, it’s like, yeah, when do I speak? When do I say that, you know? Because it feels like they’re trying to push Trump to go do that. And it’s like, who makes that choice? Does he make that choice? And then what do we get? You know, what’s the win for us? We’re just involved in some other thing, while we have suffering here at home?” Von said.
Von’s remarks come as President Trump mulls increasing U.S. involvement in Israel’s war with Iran. The issue has divided much of Trump’s base, between traditional GOP war hawks and those who claim further military intervention would be antithetical to so-called MAGA values.
Von played an important role during the 2024 presidential election, hosting Trump on his podcast for an extensive conversation that is credited with helping the Republican candidate reach young male voters.
He also said in the podcast Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “really scares me” and said the U.S. government should better explain the rationale for supporting Israel.
“I don’t know why we support them. I don’t understand that. I wish they would really give us a better explanation. You know, especially after the massacres in Gaza, I don’t understand. I do not understand that,” he said. “And some people say, Well, you don’t know enough about it. And I may not, but it’s like, dude, can I still speak about it? Can I speak about how I feel about it?”