Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher said on the latest episode of ‘Real Time’ that the reason Donald Trump is polling ahead of Joe Biden is because the Republican frontrunner wouldn’t need a catalyst to clean up deteriorating cities. 

Specifically, Trump was referring to the recent clean-up effort that took place in San Francisco ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting. 

After years of historic decline in California’s tech hub, Governor Gavin Newsom – who many say is positioning himself to assume Biden’s place on the Democratic ticket – rolled out the red carpet for the Chinese leader by ridding the streets of the city’s ample homeless population.

On Friday’s episode, Maher said to his panelists, Democratic operative Donna Brazile and former GOP congressman turned ‘Never Trumper’ Adam Kinzinger: ‘I want to try a theory out on you why Trump is killing it – not just within the party, but he’s beating Biden heavily too.’

‘Because Xi, President Xi of China, came to our state this week and met with Biden up in San Francisco, and they had a little summit,’ he said.

Longtime comedian and political talk show host Bill Maher laid out, on Friday evening, why he thinks Donald Trump is surging past Biden in the polls

‘And they did something very interesting in San Francisco. I mean, I have done many, many jokes as many comedians have about stepping and poop in San Francisco and, you know, it’s a city that needs to be put under control – so they did! Because Xi was coming! Put aside the fact that you only clean up with company coming over?

‘OK, so they cleaned it up, they rinse off the street, the homeless, you know, God forbid the guy who sends us the fentanyl sees somebody on fentanyl,’ said the comedian.

The streets of San Francisco are currently plagued with the homeless and drug-addled population doing drugs in public, sometimes overdosing and dying on the streets. 

‘This, to me, is why Trump is winning, because he talks about, ‘I’m going to open up the mental hospitals.’ Again, I’m not saying these are necessarily a good solution,’ Maher continued.

‘When he talks, ‘I’m gonna put people in camps, the immigrants,’ all this kind of stuff, and people just see a place – a country, especially in the cities that look out-of-control. And the fact that the Democrats could control it for three days, how about making it permanent?’

Read Related Also: New drill bores deeper into tunnel rubble in India to create an escape pipe for 40 trapped workers

When met with questions last week about why the city was able to so quickly clean itself up for foreign leaders – not all of whom are necessarily friendly to America – but remains feces-covered and crime-ridden for its every day, tax-paying residents, Newsom said, ‘I know folks are saying, “Oh, they’re just cleaning up this place because all those fancy leaders are coming to town.” That’s true, because it’s true.’

Maher’s guest Brazile, agreed with the host and added people ‘clean up’ when ‘something different happens.’

‘The question is: ‘Can we keep it ? Can we all pull in together? … That homeless people are not forced to sleep on the street?”’

She went on to discuss the need for affordable housing.

Donna Brazile (left) and Adam Kinzinger (right) were guests on Maher’s show Friday. The pair discussed Biden’s age and current poll numbers

Biden walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ week just outside of San Francisco

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally Saturday in Fort Dodge, Iowa. 

California Governor Gavin Newson delivered unsatisfactory and smarmy answers as he was questioned about San Francisco’s sudden clean up efforts

Kinzinger agreed with Brazile, saying Democrats must find a way to clean up their act because ‘Republicans are such a danger to this country right now.’

Later in the interview, Maher questioned Biden’s viability as a candidate due to his advanced age  of 80 and speculation about his capabilities.

Building on his previous point about Trump’s apparent lead in the polls, Maher said: ‘Do I think Joe Biden can do the job? Absolutely. I don’t think he can win the job. And that’s what I care about. He’s going to lose.’

Brazile said Biden has historically been wrongly counted out before and pulled off surprise win after surprise win in the last half-decade and shouldn’t be counted out.