Aaron Rodgers: 'I'm Super Patriotic .. Love This Country And I Want To See It Thrive'

Aaron Rodgers is a person of interest in this country because he plays in the NFL at a higher level than most who have ever played the game. But he's so much more.

Agree with him or not, the guy is complex. And thoughtful. And controversial.

That's the portrait of Rodgers you'll see in his latest streaming video interview that dropped Tuesday on X. 

It's not at all about completions and touchdowns. It's a discussion about loving America, censorship, government, Covid (of course), conspiracy theories and more.

But before you hear any of that, you must understand this: Rodgers loves America.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 11: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets runs onto the field with an American flag during player introductions prior to an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

Some Americans Don't Like America

He tells Tucker Carlson there are "people in this country who actually don't love America, who actually don't want to see us thrive. I'm super patriotic. I think is because my grandpa from the Second World War was a prisoner of war. 

"He believed in freedom and fought for it and lost many friends. He was in the Air Force, flew bombing missions, you know, to try and liberate the French and Polish people there, over in Europe and, almost lost his life for it and lost a lot of friends and believed in this country and the freedoms that he was willing to fight and die for.

"And so that's what I grew up on, you know, and I love this country, and I want to see it thrive. And I think there's a lot of people that don't give a shit about it. And if you look at some of the policies, how does it make any sense to have, you know, open borders, to have non-secure elections …"

Aaron Rodgers unleashes viral political rant. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Aaron Rodgers Discusses Almost Everything

And we're off.

During the next two hours and 16 minutes, Rodgers says the U.S. government confiscated Pat Tillman's journal and used it to "prop up war propaganda."

He rebukes the New York Times for what he says was a drastic rise in the use of the terms "racist" and "racism" and "white supremacy" during Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in 2011.

Rodgers hits on all the points that would lead anyone to believe he's a Donald Trump supporter, but that is not the case. And there's apparently a reason.

"… Everybody's in everybody's pocket," Rodgers said of Congress. "And then you create these bills that have 40 different things in it, and we're spending billions of dollars on Ukraine and billions of dollars on Israel and billions of dollars to these college campuses. 

"There are just a lot of issues right now that seem really un-American. And I think there's a lot of red-blooded Americans. People are like, how can you know? How can Trump have such support? Well, people are fed up with it. 

"And he speaks the rhetoric of, like, taking back, you know, making America great and stuff. My thing is he had four years to do it and didn't drain the swamp. And whether he just got scared because of what he learned when he was in there, I think it's very plausible."

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 18: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. hosts a fireside chat with rapper and producer Eric B. at The Gentleman's Factory on February 18, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images)

Rodgers Considered VP Offer

That's why, Rodgers says, he was interested when Robert F. Kennedy Jr approached him about running as his vice president.

"I said, ‘Are you serious? I’m a fucking football player,’ Rodgers said. "But I love this country, and I’d love to be a part of, you know, bringing it back to what she used to be."

Rodgers is still steaming about the entire Covid-19 vaccine issues that became a great topic of discussion, disagreement, and life decisions for millions of people starting in 2021.

In the NFL, for example, coaches were told they must get the available vaccines and all the boosters to be allowed to be among players. So, basically it was get jabbed or get lost. 

Media were similarly forced to take the vaccines or not be allowed in press boxes.

Players were given the option of opting out but only if they agreed to stringent testing guidelines.

Everyone who was vaccinated had to prove it by showing their vaccination cards.

(Getty Images)

Rodgers Says He Asked A Lot Of Questions

"When the [NFL] stooge came and talked to us, I asked a lot of questions about, like informed consent, about testing, about liability,' Rodgers said. "And he basically didn’t answer any of my questions. The president of the team ended the meeting and, I tell you, a ton of people from every level of the building came up afterwards and thanked me for asking the questions because many of them had no choice -- just get vaxxed or lose your job. 

"And there are certain coaches around the league who quit because they don't want to get vaxxed. I'm sure there may have been, you know, fake cards that went around."

But four years removed from the start of the pandemic, Rodgers says he's changed how he feels about many of the people he disagreed with.

"I've been, strong against, the vax, against mandates, against lockdowns, against all of it.," Rodgers said. "I think the last few months I've been looking at things a little bit differently. And I think it's time for a lot of us to, maybe, adjust some of the approach that we're doing. 

"I mean, it obviously hasn't worked. We've been trying to wake people up, I think. Yeah, with the studies that are out there now. With articles, with the change in stances by everybody from Chris Cuomo on down, who you know, either had vaccine injuries or side effects or, just looks at things differently.

"And it's caused me to, I think, have a little bit more empathy and compassion for those people who, had a ton of fear, you know, thought they were doing the right thing for themselves, for their friends, for their families, and went through all the mass formation psychosis that we all did."

Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner and Aaron Rodgers have fun on the Jets sidelines. 

(Getty Images)

Rodgers: Covid Could Happen Again

Rodgers calls how people were educated and perhaps even indoctrinated about the vaccines and lockdowns and its rules "full-court vax propaganda against us."

And he believes some of those people "are now going, 'Oh, maybe that wasn't the best. Maybe they lied to us. Maybe they weren't being truthful. Maybe this wasn't safe, even though they said from the beginning 100 percent safe and effective.'

"Everybody from [President] Biden to the head of the FDA and CDC on down to the W.H.O," Rodgers said. "So … how do we call people forward to, with compassion and kindness just come over to the side of of being awake to what's going on because I think we all need to come to grips that this could happen again."