Vance Claps Back at Rogan Over MAGA 'Dorks' Comment
US Vice President JD Vance has publicly responded to criticism from popular podcast host Joe Rogan, who recently described supporters of Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement as "dorks" and "unintelligent". The exchange highlights a growing rift between Rogan and the Trump administration on key issues like immigration, the Iran conflict, and the handling of the Epstein files.
Rogan's Scathing Remarks on MAGA Movement
During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience released on Thursday, March 26, Rogan spoke with comedian and political commentator Dave Smith. On the widely listened-to podcast, Rogan expressed strong disapproval of the MAGA slogan and its followers. He stated, "That phrase sucks… 'Make America Great Again', and then it becomes a movement of a bunch of f**king dorks, because a lot of them are dorks." Rogan further elaborated, distinguishing between genuine patriots and those he criticized, saying, "A lot of them are these really weird, fking uninteresting, unintelligent people that have got something they cling to, and there's a lot of people that are just real genuine patriots, and they're all lumped into this one group, and you got to accept the dorks, too? F that."
This criticism was part of a broader conversation where Rogan also slammed US military actions against Iran, calling the situation a "clusterf**k" and accusing the administration of betraying campaign promises to avoid foreign wars. In a separate episode two weeks prior, Rogan told independent journalist Michael Shellenberger, "It just seems so insane based on what he ran on… I mean, this is why a lot of people feel betrayed, right? He ran on 'No more wars, end these stupid, senseless wars,' and then we have one that we can’t even really clearly define why we did it."
Shift in Rogan's Political Stance
Rogan, who had endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 election, has recently adopted a more critical tone toward the administration. In recent podcast episodes, he has questioned immigration enforcement tactics, arguing that raids often target individuals without serious criminal records and describing the issue as complex beyond mere deportation numbers. Additionally, Rogan has criticized the handling of the Epstein files and expressed concerns about what he perceives as increasingly aggressive policies, marking a significant departure from his earlier support.
Vance's Response: Embracing the 'Dorks'
Vance addressed Rogan's comments during an appearance on The Benny Show on Saturday, March 28, hosted by conservative commentator Benny Johnson. When asked about Rogan's remarks and whether he considered himself a "dork", Vance dismissed the criticism but did not entirely reject the label. He said, "I think we have many, many fewer dorks than the far left, but everybody's got some dorks. We love our dorks. We love our cool kids. We love anybody who wants to save the country."
Johnson also pressed Vance on Rogan's claim, made in another episode with former US Army Chief Warrant Officer Bill Thompson, that former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were "better at deporting people" than Trump. Vance responded, "I did not see Joe say this. I'm going to text Joe because that is definitely wrong." He defended the administration's immigration record, stating, "The numbers from the Obama administration or any other administration, they weren't doing a tenth of what we're doing. So Joe is wrong on this, we've been the best administration in American history at deporting illegal aliens. The problem is we also followed the worst administration at letting them in. So there's a lot of work to do."
Vance added that the current focus is on reversing policies from the Biden era, saying, "We're taking the flood of people that Joe Biden led into our country and getting them out." This response underscores the ongoing political tensions and the administration's efforts to counter criticism from influential media figures like Rogan.
