Podcaster Joe Rogan on Wednesday called out New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul for saying that Black children in the Bronx don't know the word "computer."
He flatly called her statement "dumb."
Hochul made the remarks during a technology panel in Beverly Hills, California. She later said she misspoke and regrets it.
"But saying young, poor Black kids don't know what a computer is is so crazy," Rogan said on his show, "The Joe Rogan Experience," during a conversation with stand-up comedian and libertarian political commentator Dave Smith, reported Newsweek. "It's such a dumb thing to say. It's amazing that you could say something like that and be the governor of a major state."
He added: "Like, is she doing a survey? Ma'am, where did you get this data?"
Smith chimed in.
"This is why Malcolm X said that there's nothing more racist than a white liberal, because of s*** like this," he said.
"They're weak," Rogan responded. "Weak people are dangerous. Weak people that don't like strength are dangerous.
"They're dangerous because they want to suppress everything. That's what's spooky about it. Weak people scare the s*** out of me more than even like totalitarians do sometimes. Because they eventually become totalitarian. You know, it's like the bullied become the bullies."
Hochul was at the Milken Institute Global Conference on Monday to discuss New York's artificial intelligence initiative when she made the statement. Then she said, "right now, we have young Black kids growing up in the Bronx who don't even know what the word 'computer' is. They don't know these things.
"I want the world to open up to all of them, because when you have their diverse voices innovating solutions through technology, then you're really addressing society's broader challenges."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.