Ever since Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection victory, Democrats have been consumed in debate over how to do politics in the so-called “attention economy.” How can Democrats access the information spaces that Trump seems to have mastery over? Do they need an army of their own Joe Rogans, or not?

No, they don’t. But Joe Rogan can provide Democrats with a bit of guidance. In particular, Rogan, who backed Trump in 2024 but is politically idiosyncratic, has been one of the most relentless critics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the internet. This—plus new polling data on ICE I’ve obtained—tells us something important about that argument over information Democrats are having.

This week, Rogan harshly criticized Trump’s ICE raids again after the horrific and unjustified killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. “You don’t want militarized people in the streets just roaming around, snatching up people, many of which turn out to be U.S. citizens that just don’t have their papers on them,” Rogan said:

Joe Rogan on ICE:

"You don't want militarized people in the streets roaming around, snatching people up, many of which turn out to be U.S. citizens that just don't have their papers on them. Are we really gonna be the Gestapo, 'Where's your papers?' Is that what we've come to?" pic.twitter.com/mLsaP0Jof9

“Are we really gonna be the gestapo?” Rogan asked. “Where’s your papers—is that what we’ve come to?”

Rogan has targeted ICE constantly. He has repeatedly denounced ICE arrests of day laborers outside Home Depot and at construction sites. He has sharply criticized the arrests of noncriminal immigrants. He has attacked ICE for “scaring the shit out of everybody” and

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