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Bill Maher delivered a standout monologue on this week’s Real Time, drawing a surprising parallel between Donald Trump and Taylor Swift.
In Friday’s episode on HBO, Maher momentarily commended Trump for his involvement in the Israel–Hamas agreement. However, he quickly shifted gears to critique the former president’s ongoing campaign for vengeance and his self-proclaimed “No Kings” protests.
“Republicans aren’t calling it a no King’s Day,” Maher remarked. “They’re dubbing it hate America day. Do liberals really despise America? That’s their belief? If you keep exercising your right to assemble and speak, we’ll dispatch our masked, unaccountable secret police to detain you, as any ‘true’ American would!”
The comedian then lampooned Trump’s repeated claims of not seeing himself as a monarch. “Trump declared, ‘I am not a king,’ and threatened to imprison anyone who says otherwise!” Maher quipped. “He insists he doesn’t want to be king, but wouldn’t refuse a golden crown if one were offered.”
Maher went on to liken Trump’s growing list of political adversaries to Nixon’s notorious “enemies list.” “Remember how Nixon was accused of having an enemies list? He denied it. Trump, on the other hand, just reads his list aloud!” Maher noted. “Seriously, he broadcasts it — that’s quite a difference.”
Then came the kicker: “Trump is going after everyone that ever pissed him off,” Maher said. “He’s like an authoritarian Taylor Swift. It’s amazing.”
Later in the episode, Maher welcomed actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who didn’t hold back when discussing Governor Gavin Newsom’s Prop 50 measure — calling it “a big scam.”
The proposal, which would temporarily change California’s congressional district maps, has been billed by Newsom as a way to prevent Trump and Republicans from “rigging the next election.” Schwarzenegger, however, called it proof that gerrymandering remains alive and well.
“Do you know who I want to win? The people,” he said. “The people have to win. See, I’m a Republican, but I’m not a Republican hack. I’m not a political hack. I don’t serve the party, I always serve the people. The people are first.”
He warned voters against giving “power back to the politicians” via Prop 50, adding, “We fought that for too long. Let’s not do that. Let’s be a good example. Let the Democrats outperform the Republicans, and therefore, because of their performance, win and get the House back.”
You can watch an excerpt from Maher’s interview with Schwarzenegger above.
Maher’s panel for the night featured Squawk Box host and author Andrew Ross Sorkin alongside billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. You can watch the full episode on HBO Max.
