‘That sounds so Republican’: Joe Rogan stunned by Obama’s old deportation rhetoric

Joe Rogan argued that Obama's past speech 'sounds very MAGA'

Podcaster Joe Rogan marveled Wednesday at a viral 2010 clip of President Barack Obama defending deportation and immigration enforcement.

The clip, shared in a post on the social media platform X, emerged as Americans feud over Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation raids launched since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Rogan spoke Wednesday with podcaster Andrew Wilson about the current battle over immigration. 

Rogan is one of many influencers who have specifically highlighted Obama’s earlier policies on immigration and deportation that contrast sharply with the current Democratic Party stance.

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Rogan has highlighted past rhetoric from Democrats multiple times to show how much the party has shifted on immigration. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

"They think that once they get into power, everything will be fine. But it's not going to," Rogan said. "And, not only that, what would be fascinating is if someone from the left started behaving exactly like the people that are on the right, just did it from a perspective of the left, where you would think, ‘Oh, this is OK,’ and that's what we got during the Obama administration."

Rogan proceeded to have his producer share the viral Obama clip, noting, "By the way, Obama — and I was mistaken on this — I thought that a lot of the people that Obama deported were people that were turned away at the border. Uh-uh. That was a third. Most of the people out of the — I think it was about 3 million over the course of his presidency — were deported. Like arrested, deported. A lot of families were affected. Let’s put on the headphones so we can listen to the speech because this sounds very MAGA."

During the 2010 speech, Obama pushed back against pro-immigration advocates calling for amnesty and a stop to deportations, responding, "I recognize the sense of compassion that drives this argument, but I believe such an indiscriminate approach would be both unwise and unfair."

The president went on to warn, "It would suggest to those thinking about coming here illegally that there will be no repercussions for such a decision, and this could lead to a surge in more illegal immigration.

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Past rhetoric and policy from President Barack Obama has been frequently cited to show how much the Democratic Party has changed on illegal immigration. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

"Ultimately, our nation, like all nations, has the right and obligation to control its borders and set laws for residency and citizenship," Obama said. "And no matter how decent they are, no matter their reasons, the 11 million who broke these laws should be held accountable."

Obama added he was not in favor of deporting "11 million people."

"That sounds so Republican. In 2010, that was a Democrat saying that, and everybody was like, ‘Well, OK,'" Rogan said. "And, not only that, Tom Homan, who is the head now, was the guy then, and he gave him a f---ing medal."

Rogan asked his producer to find a famous clip of Hillary Clinton "where Hillary is more MAGA than Trump.

In the 2008 clip, Clinton said, "I think we’ve gotta have tough conditions, tell people to come out of the shadows. If they’ve committed a crime, deport them. No questions asked, they’re gone. If they’ve been working and are law-abiding, we should say, ‘Here are the conditions for you staying. You have to pay a stiff fine because you came here illegally. You have to pay back taxes, and you have to try to learn English. And you have to wait in line!"

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Over the past 10 years, particularly amid the rise of President Donald Trump, mass migration has remained one of the most salient issues. (AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)

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"Everybody cheered!" Rogan said.

"And now," Trump’s a ‘Nazi,’" Wilson said, mocking liberal rhetoric, claiming Republicans are authoritarians today for pushing policies that were mainstream until recently.

Earlier in the episode, Rogan recalled his conversation with Elon Musk in which he said the Tesla CEO argued that mass immigration was essentially a plan to ensure the Democrats will never lose an election again. 

"And one of the best ways to do that is to ship untold numbers of people to swing states" Rogan said.