Joe Rogan had endorsed Donald Trump in 2024, but later publicly regretted it. His latest claim on The Joe Rogan Experience is that liberal Hillary Clinton is actually more MAGA than Trump himself. On Wednesday’s episode, Rogan told listeners to stop thinking in left-versus-right terms and start focusing on what politicians actually did or promised their voters.
He argued that the Democratic Party has changed so dramatically that figures like Bill Clinton would be considered conservatives by today’s standards. Rogan then recalled Hillary’s 2008 immigration promises as flat-out “hardcore.”
“If you’ve been convicted of a crime, get out,” Rogan said, summing up Clinton’s old position. “If you stay here, [you] pay a stiff penalty, and you have to get in line, and you have to learn English. And everyone cheers.”
He said: “She’s more MAGA than MAGA. That is a hardcore right-wing 2026 perspective.”
Hillary Clinton in 2008: “If they’ve committed a crime… deport them! No questions asked. You’re gone! If you want to become a citizen you have to pay a stiff fine, pay back taxes, and learn English.”pic.twitter.com/bSMy4k6ZCH
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) March 13, 2026
His guest, former U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Bill Thompson, also pointed out that Barack Obama “did it (…) in 2012.” According to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, ICE deported roughly 3.1 million people across Obama’s two terms. In Trump’s first term, the figure was around 932,000. In Obama’s first year of his second term alone, approximately 409,849 people were deported, which is more than the 260,000 under Trump’s first year back in office.
So while Trump has built an identity around strict immigration policies, the actual scoreboard is more complicated. Rogan’s statement carries more weight, as he had hosted Trump on his podcast in October 2024. By giving Trump three hours of airtime, Rogan had helped him win over a section of young male voters. However, immigration is now only part of his criticism of the president.
Earlier this month, Rogan told journalist Michael Shellenberger he feels “betrayed” by the administration’s stance on Iran: “He ran on ‘No more wars, end these stupid, senseless wars,’ and then we have one that we can’t even (…) define why we did it.”
Joe Rogan on Donald Trump and the Iran War:
“It just seems so insane based on what he ran on. This is why a lot of people feel betrayed. He ran on no more wars and these stupid, senseless wars. And then we have one that we can’t even really clearly define why we did it.” pic.twitter.com/eg2bXFOiU0
— James Melville 🚜 (@JamesMelville) March 16, 2026
The Democratic Party has moved left on immigration since the Obama years. Positions that were mainstream Democratic talking points in 2008 included English requirements, criminal deportation, and financial penalties for undocumented residents. However, Trump’s actual deportation numbers so far have not matched the scale of the Obama years.
KPBS reported that researchers at Syracuse University noted that the fastest-growing category in ICE detention is people with no criminal record, which has increased from around 6% to 18% of the detained population in just the first months of Trump’s current term.
As it turns out, Trump’s “worst of the worst” framing doesn’t match the data.
