Joe Rogan and Bernie Sanders in surprising agreement as $79,000,000,000,000 taken from 90% of Americans
Big respect to Bernie Sanders for actually showing up and having a real, honest conversation on a podcast.
In a recent episode of *The Joe Rogan Experience*, Bernie Sanders sat down with Joe Rogan, and surprisingly, the two found common ground on some serious issues—especially when it comes to how working-class Americans are struggling.
They talked about a wide range of topics like artificial intelligence, jobs of the future, universal education, and healthcare. But the moment that really caught people’s attention was their shared outrage over the national minimum wage.
Joe Rogan called it “ridiculous” that the federal minimum wage is still just \$7 an hour. Bernie fully agreed, saying it’s “insane.” Rogan made it real by pointing out that a sandwich at a fast-food chain like Jimmy John’s can now cost \$25. That means someone earning minimum wage would need to work over three hours just to afford a basic lunch. And if that’s your situation, how do you afford breakfast? Or dinner? How do you even survive?
Sanders added that he’s spoken to people who earn \$10 or \$12 an hour while trying to raise kids. Rogan pushed back against the usual argument that low-wage jobs are just “starter jobs for teenagers.” While that may be true sometimes, he said, the real problem is that many full-grown adults are stuck in these roles. And when that’s the case, the whole system starts to look unfair and even cruel.
Sanders pointed out that they’ve tried to raise the federal minimum wage to \$17 an hour, saying that’s at least a step toward helping people live decently. Rogan agreed, noting that even \$17 an hour still doesn’t go very far today—but at least it would let someone buy a sandwich without giving up half a day’s pay.
Sanders also brought up a shocking statistic. Research by RAND showed that over the past 50 years, about **\$79 trillion** has been transferred from the bottom 90% of Americans to the richest 1%. In 1975, the bottom 90% of people got around two-thirds of all taxable income. By 2015 and 2019, that number had dropped below 50%, while the richest 10% took a much bigger slice.
According to the same data, if income were distributed the way it was in 1975, working Americans could’ve earned nearly **\$4 trillion more** just in 2023.
This kind of growing inequality, Sanders says, is doing real damage to democracy. It’s not just about money—it’s about power, opportunity, and fairness.
While some people on social media were frustrated, saying they’ve been hearing this same talk for years without seeing real change, others praised Sanders for being willing to show up and speak openly. One commenter even said that giving Sanders an unfiltered platform like Rogan’s podcast might be one of the most important political moments in recent years.
The numbers back up their concerns: America’s economy has grown dramatically since 1975, but most of that growth hasn’t gone to the people who actually keep the country running.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump, during a speech earlier this year, blamed decades of bad trade policies and promised to make America “wealthy again” by adding major tariffs on foreign goods.
In short, Bernie and Rogan didn’t just agree on one issue—they put a spotlight on the everyday reality of Americans who are working harder than ever and still falling behind.
