The Contradiction at the Heart of Republicans’ Embrace of Psychedelics

On Saturday, with podcaster and psychedelics fan Joe Rogan standing over his shoulder, President Trump signed an executive order intended to expand access to psychedelics for mental health treatment.

For some, it may come as a surprise to see a Republican president embrace psychedelics. But he’s only the most recent member of the GOP to hop on the psychedelics bandwagon.

In a June 2025 Washington Post op-ed, for instance, Rick Perry championed the psychedelic drug ibogaine — which Trump and Rogan have both specifically mentioned, too — as a revolutionary treatment for veterans and others suffering from trauma and addiction.

Soon after, a front-page New York Times article detailed Perry’s personal experience with ibogaine and recast him  as a leader in America’s psychedelic revival. The former Texas governor and secretary of energy under the first Trump administration — who built his career on moral conservatism, budget-slashing austerity, and punitive drug policies — now urges lawmakers to embrace a “bold, bipartisan move” and funnel tens of millions into ibogaine research.