Pulling a fire alarm in a crowded theater scatters the crowd, even if smoke never appears. Panic spreads faster than facts, and once people have already bolted through the exits, calm explanations arrive much too late.
Building his career on curiosity, Joe Rogan sat with guests through long conversations and with patience. Rogan usually displayed a willingness to hear people out before forming conclusions.
That reputation explains why his comments following the fatal shooting in Minneapolis landed with such force. It also could explain why his argument felt so disappointing.
During his interview with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rogan labeled ICE as villains and asked whether America planned to turn into the Gestapo.
After that woman was shot, unfortunately — everything’s unfortunate about it — but one of the real problems is, now ICE are villains, Rogan told Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) during Tuesday’s episode of his The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Now people are looking at them like murderers, military people that are on the streets of our city, Rogan continued. And they’re masked up, which is also a problem, because if you get arrested by a cop, you’re allowed to ask the cop, ‘What is your name and badge number?'
If you get arrested by an ICE agent, you have no such right, the podcaster added. They’re wearing a mask. They don’t have to tell you s**t — that’s a problem on our city streets, right? Because you could also pretend to be an ICE agent.
He anchored that charge to one example: criminals disguising themselves as delivery drivers to gain access to homes to commit murder.
It's an idiot's comparison.
The Strawman in Uniform
Rogan's analogy hinges on deception when criminals impersonate trusted roles to bypass suspicion.
Rogan then dove into an anecdote, recalling a 2024 crime in which a former UPS employee dressed in a company uniform, apparently to make it easier to gain access to a Coon Rapids, Minnesota, home, where he ended up killing three people.
If you could pretend to be a UPS driver, for sure, you could pretend to be an ICE agent, especially since they’re completely anonymous, Rogan surmised.
Wearing a UPS uniform isn't a credential; it's a disguise, a tactic that works because delivery drivers lack arrest authority and enforcement power.
ICE agents don't hide who they are; they wear identification, cooperate under federal authority, and follow the rules about governing use of force, warrants, and engagement.
Comparing lawful enforcement to criminal impersonators, then only using a single example, is an intellectually weak argument at best.
Only when attacking a position nobody actually holds is how strawman arguments work—something the left excels at. Nobody is arguing that murderers should pose as delivery drivers, but Rogan used that argument anyway, then applied its danger to every federal agent acting openly under the law.
Names and Roles Matter
The Joe Rogan Experience podcast is one of the largest podcasts in the world, with a reach that shapes opinion well beyond casual conversation.
When Rogan speaks, millions listen.
Ice agent Jonathan Rose operated as part of a federal enforcement action in Minneapolis, and suffered internal injuries when a woman thought it was a good idea to try to run him over.
Related: The Detail Nobody Wanted to Hear: ICE Agent Suffered Internal Bleeding After Good Struck Him
The detail about his internal injuries matters because force traveled in both directions. Renee Nicole Good lost her life during that encounter when tragedy struck fast, but emotions followed faster.
Serious conversations demand something greater than emotionally loaded comparisons.
The Gestapo Word Carries Weight
As President Barack Obama famously said, "Words matter."
The left keeps calling President Donald Trump a tyrant and a Nazi, which is why Rogan's use of the word, Gestapo carries historical gravity.
It's a term that evokes secret police, disappearances, and unchecked brutality. Using that word requires precision and restraint.
ICE operates under statutes passed by Congress, courts review its actions, and agents face investigations when force is used. None of that resembles secret policing: Distinctions Rogan skipped while jumping straight to the darkest analogy available.
While hyperbole draws attention, it also clouds judgment.
Disappointment Comes From Respect
My criticism comes from appreciation, not hostility. Rogan usually listens longer than most interviewers, asking follow-up questions and giving complexity time to breathe.
However, in this moment, that patience disappeared. A single anecdote replaced any careful reasoning, using a vivid image in place of analysis.
Millions heard a conclusion without the curiosity that helped build Rogan's reputation.
Enforcement Is Not Performance Art
Law enforcement doesn't exist to feel comfortable; it exists to enforce laws passed by our elected officials. Policy arguments belong in legislatures; arguments about tactics belong in investigations. But reducing agents to villains short-circuits both conversations.
Comparisons matter because they frame how people react. Whenever a public figure exaggerates, they push audiences towards fear rather than understanding.
Final Thoughts
In case you haven't noticed, I use analogies most of the time. I started this practice long ago, when writing technical manuals that required translating from electrical engineer-speak to everyday speech. Analogies helped me simplify information for easier understanding.
People remember the panic.
Joe Rogan tried using an analogy that didn't work the same way when he tried to create a comparison that drew attention to his narrative, but it left the truth behind.
Careful thinking built Rogan's audience, but his careless analogies risk losing some of it.
PJ Media VIP exists for readers who value clarity over volume and facts over frenzy. Support commentary that slows the alarm and checks for smoke before running.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member