That whale discussion wasn't a tangent. They were talking about clean energy (Joe asked about nuclear) and they both moved on to speaking on how awful wind farms are, which lead to the brief mention of the ones out in the ocean that are significantly disrupting and killing sea life. This has been studied by environmental groups and there is a massive amount of money trying to cover this up.
environmentalprogress.org
Completely agree with the tariffs replacing taxes thing. It's insane in the year 2024.
I've actually been listening to Rogan off and on for over ten years. My defense has always been less towards Joe and more towards his guests. He has a lot of really interesting, smart, experienced people on his show (in between the drunk/high comedians). I've learned to take Joe's comments with a grain of salt on most topics (while also acknowledging that some topics, he actually knows what he's talking about --> health/fitness, hunting, UFC, comedy/Hollywood). While doing that, it's easier to focus on what his guests are saying. Even the controversial ones, he's later invited back along with another guest who has oppositional views for debate. Joe got so big that I think a lot of people put pressure on him to suddenly become something he never was and is never going to be. You say "it was like listening to two drunk guys at a bar just rambling about nonsensical shit," and that's exactly what JRE has always been. He's actually talked about this numerous times over the years.