Actor Mark Ruffalo has called out podcast host Joe Rogan over his recent criticism of immigration raids led by ICE under President Donald Trump.
On a July 2 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan spoke with Replit CEO Amjad Masad about the recent ICE raids.
Mark Ruffalo called out Joe Rogan after the podcast host’s comments on ICE raids
Highlights
- Mark Ruffalo criticized Joe Rogan for speaking out against ICE raids after previously endorsing Trump in 2024.
- Rogan called the recent ICE raids targeting migrant workers at workplaces "insane" during his podcast with Replit CEO, Amjad Masad.
- Ruffalo referenced Project 2025, saying its a little late to pretend this wasn't the playbook all along.
Image credits: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Rogan, who previously supported Trump’s 2024 re-election, said the raids are “insane.”
“We were told there would be no… Well, there’s two things that are insane,” said Rogan, 57. “One is the targeting of migrant workers. Not cartel members, not gang members, not drug dealers. Just construction workers. Showing up in construction sites, raiding them. Gardeners. Like, really?"
Ruffalo, known for his role in the Marvel films and his outspoken critical views of Trump, responded on Threads and took direct aim at Rogan.
“Dear @joerogan, it's a little late now to pretend like Project 2025 didn't exist and wasn't the playbook all along,” Ruffalo wrote on July 6. “You are either not that smart or not that dumb. It's hard to tell at this point."
Project 2025, or the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, is a political agenda published by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation in April 2023.
The mandate calls for major changes to federal institutions such as restructuring the FBI, eliminating the Department of Education, rolling back federal approval of abortion medication, and expanding the authority of immigration officials to deport undocumented immigrants.
Though Trump said he didn’t know much about it, many of its authors were linked to his first administration.
A USA Today analysis showed that Trump had connections to at least 31 of Project 2025's 38 authors or editors.
Ruffalo pointed out that Rogan supported Trump during the 2024 election, so he should have expected the tough immigration policies.
Rogan has shared support for Trump and endorsed him in the lead-up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
Joe Rogan endorsed Trump for the 2024 presidential election
Image credits: Chris Unger/Getty Images
Recent ICE raids have sparked protests across the country; in Los Angeles, federal agents have arrested many immigrants at workplaces.
Last month, Trump sent National Guard troops to California to support these operations.
California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, challenged the move, but a court ruled that Trump could keep the troops in place.
Ruffalo joined a ‘No Kings Day’ protest in New York City on June 14, the same day Trump held a military parade in Washington, D.C., marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
At the rally, Ruffalo told the crowd: “We have a king and his court, and his beige henchmen, and they’re trampling on our rights and our laws and our freedom, making themselves richer with taxpayer dollars. We have to be brave if we want to be free.”
“It’s on us, guys. Literally, together, we’re The Avengers now. No one’s going to come and save us, man. Americans unite,” he said, mimicking the popular Avengers quote.
In November 2025, Rogan released a podcast with Elon Musk.
He then posted on X: “The great and powerful @elonmusk. If it wasn’t for him we’d be f**ked. He makes what I think is the most compelling case for Trump you’ll hear, and I agree with him every step of the way.”
“For the record, yes, that’s an endorsement of Trump. Enjoy the podcast,” he added.
Trump advertised this during his penultimate presidential campaign rally in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, saying, “It just came over the wires that Joe Rogan just endorsed me, is that great.”
“And he doesn’t do that, he doesn’t do that stuff, he tends to be a little bit more liberal than some of the people in this room,” Trump said.
Ruffalo, who has been a vocal Trump critic, said Rogan’s comments came a little too late
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
Rogan’s liberal views seem to surface in key moments. On a June 18 podcast with Luis J. Gomez and Big Jay Oakerson, he remarked that people wouldn’t have supported Trump had they known the full extent of his immigration policies.
“If the Trump administration, if they’re running and they said, we’re gonna go to Home Depot and we’re gonna arrest all the people at Home Depot, we’re gonna go to construction sites, and we’re gonna tackle people at construction sites, I don’t think anybody would have signed up for that,” he said.