Maher predicts 2024 will ‘be a referendum on which side is crazier’
“Real Time” host Bill Maher expressed caution regarding the upcoming four criminal trials of former President Trump, foreseeing that they could portray him as a “revolutionary leader” as the 2024 campaign unfolds.
In an interview published on Monday by Reason Magazine, Maher conveyed his pessimism about the upcoming election, which is increasingly shaping up as a rematch between Trump and President Biden.
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“I think I’m in line with a lot of people: I wish Biden would step aside,” Maher remarked. “Well, first, I wish Trump doesn’t win, but he absolutely could, and it’s appearing more likely. However, a lot can change in a year. We haven’t seen any of his trials—although if the January 6 commission, the media, and everything else haven’t altered people’s opinions about him, I believe these trials will only depict him as a revolutionary leader.”
He continued, “All you have to say is, ‘The people who put me on trial were corrupt!’ And then your ignominious behavior becomes a badge of honor. So whether the trials are going to help or hurt him, it’s hard to say. I think it’ll be about a draw, and then it’ll truly be a referendum on which side is crazier.”
“And both sides have a case, although I always lean towards ‘Trump is, of course, truly crazy.’ He’s both foolish and crazy. These are two entirely different attributes, but he possesses both. I am even more concerned about the craziness, but insanity captures attention. And when he shows up, come on, people are going to cover it, watch it. It’s not going to be boring,” Maher said
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“And in this society where facts are often disregarded, I don’t think most people base their votes on issues. It doesn’t truly matter what any of them say or do, because each has their own media sources, which are in the business of echoing back to their audience what they want to hear,” he added.
Back in March, Maher raised concerns, warning that the initial indictment brought by New York D.A. Alvin Bragg would serve as “rocket fuel” for Trump’s 2024 campaign.
“I just want to go on record by saying I think this is a colossal mistake if they bring these charges. Not this one, you know,” Maher commented at the time. “I mean, yes, he’s done a lot of bad things, and I’m sure he did this — everything they accused him of [doing], he did. But first of all, it’s not gonna work. It’s gonna be rocket fuel for his 2024 campaign. And it’s just gonna look to MAGA nation like, ‘Oh, you know, you tried with Mueller, you tried with Ukraine, you tried with January 6. Now we go to the porn star? Really? You’re down to that?.”
After the initial indictment, Trump’s GOP polling surged and continued to stay elevated with the introduction of three more rounds of indictments. Two were from Special Counsel Jack Smith, and one came from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia. In total, these charges amounted to a substantial 91 counts.
Maher also disclosed in the interview that a “pretty famous” individual criticized him for featuring Republicans on his HBO show.
“I had [Ron] DeSantis and Ted Cruz on this year, and Bill Barr. And yes, to answer your question, I can think of two people—and I won’t say who they are; one of them is pretty famous—just yelling at me in an email about that,” Maher stated. “And my answer to that is F— off. You know what? You live in your ivory tower. I’m going to talk to everybody in the half of the country that you find is so deplorable. They’re not going to self-deport, even if they are deplorable. And some of them are! And some on the left are deplorable too, and incredibly obnoxious. That’s the country.”
He continued, “When historians look back in a hundred years, if we’re still here, I don’t think they’re going to divide the country like we do into these two camps. They’re going to say: As a people, they were obnoxious. It happens in different forms on both sides. As a people, they didn’t believe in science. On the right, they think global warming is a hoax or whatever nonsense they believe about that. And on the left, they think men can have babies. That’s what they’ll say. They’ll say, ‘As a people, they just lost their s–t.’”