Podcaster Joe Rogan, once considered a powerful media ally of Donald Trump, is walking back his support, publicly criticizing the president’s aggressive deportation policies as “insane” and “stupid.” During the July 2 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the host and his guest, tech CEO Amjad Masad, expressed deep concern over what they called the merciless targeting of non-criminal immigrants under Trump’s renewed crackdown.
“There’s two things that are insane,” Rogan said. “One is the targeting of migrant workers. Not cartel members, not gang members, not drug dealers. Just construction workers. Showing up in construction sites, raiding them. Gardeners. Like, really?” Masad, a Palestinian-American entrepreneur, echoed Rogan’s concerns and pointed to growing fears among international students. He specifically mentioned the case of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Ph.D. student at Tufts University who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this year after publishing an op-ed criticizing the school’s ties to Israel.
Rogan appeared stunned by the story. “And that’s enough to get you kicked out of the country?” he asked, after learning that Ozturk’s critical essay was cited as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s justification for her arrest. Ozturk was held in a Louisiana ICE facility for six weeks before a judge ruled her detention unlawful and ordered her release in May. Surveillance footage of Ozturk’s arrest, carried out by plainclothes agents, went viral, sparking public outrage and raising broader concerns about political speech and immigration enforcement.
Joe Rogan Shifts Tone on Trump
Rogan’s recent remarks reflect a significant shift in tone for the influential host, who welcomed Trump onto his podcast during the 2024 campaign cycle and later endorsed his reelection bid. His platform was widely credited with boosting Trump’s appeal among younger male voters. But in recent months, Rogan has grown increasingly vocal in his criticism of Trump’s immigration agenda, particularly the stepped-up ICE raids across major cities like Los Angeles.
“They said we’re gonna get rid of the criminals and the gang members first. Right?” Rogan said in a recent episode with comedians Luis J. Gomez and Big Jay Oakerson. “And now we’re seeing like Home Depots get raided. Like, that’s crazy.” While Rogan clarified that he supports deporting violent criminals, he drew a firm line when it comes to targeting workers and students. “Going in and raiding those people and putting ’em in jail because they’ve integrated into society in an illegal way. It seems stupid,” he said.
Trump, now in the first year of his second term, has doubled down on his hardline immigration stance. His One Big Beautiful Bill is expected to allocate roughly $170 billion to expand ICE operations, potentially making it the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in U.S. history. Despite the mounting criticism, the administration continues to promote the plan as a necessary measure to “restore order” at the border. But for Rogan, and a growing number of former supporters, the human cost of that mission is becoming harder to justify.
