Bill Maher Says He'll Never Be a Republican ‘Because I Don't Want to Live in North Korea'
Bill Maher laid into Republicans during his 'New Rules' segment on Friday's 'Real Time,' which he started by explaining to people who ask why, if he roasts 'the woke nonsense peddlers, why don't you go all the way and join' the right wing.
'Let me give you the short answer,' Maher said. 'Because I don't want to live in North Korea.'
Maher then noted the incredible propaganda deployed for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, who 'has state stenographers who follow him everywhere and scribble his genius ideas into their notebooks and applaud. Well, Republicans, that's you now. Republican Congressman Anderson McDowell wants to name Dulles airport after Trump. It will be like other airports, except the International Terminal only has departures.'
Maher then mentioned a recent Republican tribute to Trump, the proposed bill to add him to Mount Rushmore, and then he discussed Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center
'The Kennedy Center is not something I really care a lot about. But I do care that an American president doesn't see anything wrong with him personally taking it over, or that his communications director Stephen Chung said it was justified because Trump, quote, 'is a virtuoso and his musical choices represent a brilliant palette of vibrant colors when others often paint in pale pastels.' Jesus, Stephen, don't get any in your hair.'
And yes, a Trump official really did say that. Read more here.
Then Maher noted how 'Republicans dance like Trump now. They may name weapons systems after him. They've even dressed like him with the trademark suit and tie, available exclusive, available exclusively at Banana Republic,' adding, 'all these super macho guys eating the ass of another man.'
Maher ran through some other recent examples of incredible sycophancy by Trump officials, and said that while 'Tthere is a level of Trump derangement syndrome on the left, will you admit that this s— is also deranged?'
'A Trump speech this month to a joint session of Congress, he claimed the government had spent $8 million making mice transgender. It did not. The $8 million was for transgenic mice, mice that were being genetically modified to study how hormone treatments affect human health,' Maher continued. 'We were splicing their genes, not making them compete in women's sports.'
'Here's the important thing about this, the fact that President Trump got this wrong isn't what bothers me… What's worrisome about it is that nobody around the President would dare tell him that transgenic is not transgender. It makes you think that if Trump came down one day and his fly was open, Republicans wouldn't tell him. They'd just start showing up with their flies open,' he continued.
'So, so I know my Republican friends, when you hear 'cult,' you roll your eyes. But let me add one thing to it that you might not have heard. You know, a cult is really a cult when the leader asks you to turn on friends and family because they're the only ones who are a threat to deprogram you, it's why Tom Cruise doesn't talk to his own kid. Which brings me to America, suddenly saying to our closest friend in the world, you know what? 'F— Canada,' for no particular reason,' Maher said.
'I don't know for sure where Jesse waters of Fox News stood on invading Canada 12 weeks ago, but I'm guessing it wasn't on his mind at all,' Maher went on. 'But now his message for Canada is the fact that they don't want us to make take them over… But Canada isn't threatening us. For God's sakes their flag is a leaf. Even Joe Rogan, a Trump voter, said, 'Why are we upset at Canada? This is stupid.''
'Okay, Maga, people, that's called thinking for yourself. At the end of Trump's first term, there were still some people who would occasionally correct him on little details, like, you lost that last election. But now we have Lauren Boebert saying we must rally behind President Trump to secure his third term, something Steve Bannon is advocating for as well,' Maher added, nodding of course to the fact that the only way Trump could legally serve a third term would be to change the constitution.
'And you know, you just know that soon, the entire Republican Party will be on this page. Okay, there's no fuzz on this. It's as clear as 123, presidents get two terms, not more, no matter how wonderful you think they are. It's written in black and white in the Constitution. Guys, you know this is wrong. You know in your heart, this is the moment when Rome stops being a republic. So come on, be like those mice and grow a pair of balls,' Maher urged.
Watch the whole thing here:
The post Bill Maher Says He'll Never Be a Republican 'Because I Don't Want to Live in North Korea' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
22 minutes ago
- CBS News
Rallyers in Denver demonstrating against ICE arrests march down the middle of Lincoln Street
A large gathering that started out at the Colorado State Capitol to rally against the growing numbers of deportations of people in Colorado and the country illegally became a march down a Denver street on Tuesday evening. Demonstrators march down the middle of Lincoln Street in Denver on Tuesday night. CBS Hundreds of protesters first gathered at the Colorado State Capitol at the start of the evening. By 6:15 p.m. they started a march down the middle of Lincoln Street. The march made it temporarily impossible for all lanes of traffic to get through. The White House has directed Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to step up daily arrests. CBS News reports the goal is to make 3,000 arrests a day nationwide. Protesters have also taken to the streets in other cities, including Dallas and San Francisco, and Los Angeles is in the midst of a fifth day of protests over federal immigration raids. On Monday evening in California, tensions boiled over following a day of peaceful demonstrations. President Trump has doubled the number of National Guard troops being sent to patrol the city to 4,000 -- a number that Los Angeles city officials say vastly outnumbers the protesters -- and has said they will remain there indefinitely. There were security concerns leading up to Tuesday's demonstration in Denver, but everything has been peaceful so far. Groups have been protesting ICE for months now, but their message is even louder given the recent events in L.A. In a protest in Aurora on Monday organizers said they want to show solidarity with what's happening in California. Organizers say they're demanding an end to what they call targeted raids in immigrant communities that are tearing families apart. Some people in Denver called for ICE to be abolished altogether, while others want state and local law enforcement to stop cooperating with federal immigration agents. Many in Colorado held signs and chanted against immigration enforcement. One protester said she knows the pain of deportation personally. "My dad was deported a couple years back and I know how it feels to have family separated and struggle with that. And I don't want anybody else to go through that. Because I know my mom suffered. I suffered, and it's really traumatic and I don't want anyone to feel that way," she said. Denver police, Colorado State Patrol, and other agencies say they're monitoring the protest and are ready to respond if necessary.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Republicans advance measure to ban noncitizens from voting in local DC elections
WASHINGTON — The House advanced a bill to ban noncitizens from voting in local elections in Washington, D.C., marking the latest step from Republicans to crack down on city policies they view as too liberal. Lawmakers voted 268-148 largely along party lines to advance the measure, sending the bill over to the Republican-led Senate for consideration. The bill managed to garner some bipartisan support after 56 Democrats voted in favor. However, the legislation's future is uncertain as it would require seven Democrats to buck party leadership and support the proposal. 'The right to vote is a defining privilege of American citizenship,' House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a speech on the House floor. 'Diluting that right by extending it to noncitizens — whether here legally or illegally — undermines the voice of D.C. residents.' The bill would overturn the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act, a bill passed by the D.C. Council in 2022 that permits undocumented residents living in Washington to vote in local elections. City lawmakers have defended the measure by pointing to a 'long history of the U.S. allowing noncitizens to vote in local (or) state' elections. Lawmakers also note many of the undocumented residents pay local taxes, support businesses, and attend district schools — arguing that should qualify them to have a say in local elections. However, Republicans have argued that allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections sets a dangerous precedent that could negatively harm local governments. 'Some may wrongly dismiss these as local elections. The reality is local elections are a vital part of our democratic process and have a significant impact on communities,' Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, who led the bill in the House, said in a speech. 'Local elections determine matters such as taxation, the criminal code, and the election of city council members who create essential ordinances, including those that dictate voting rights.' Additionally, Republicans have criticized the law as a way to dilute 'the voice of American citizens.' 'It's also important to acknowledge that many local elections are decided by razor-thin margins underscoring their significance and importance of active participation,' Pfluger said. GOP lawmakers also cited opposition from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who withheld her signature from the ordinance but allowed it to take effect. 'Why would my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want foreigners to vote in local elections in Washington, D.C.? What's the purpose?' Pfluger said. 'Free and fair elections are prerequisites for the healthy republic our founding fathers envisioned, with the District of Columbia as the epicenter.' House Republicans passed a bill in 2023 seeking to repeal the D.C. law allowing noncitizens to vote. The bill was spearheaded by Republicans but 52 Democrats ultimately joined all Republicans in approving the bill despite efforts from Democratic leadership to quash the proposal. However, the legislation was never considered in the Senate, which was controlled by Democrats at the time. Despite not being a state, Washington is permitted to operate as an independent city government under the D.C. Home Rule Act. However, local laws are still subject to congressional approval before they can take effect, occasionally setting up showdowns between Congress and local lawmakers. The vote on Tuesday is the first of three bills being considered this week by the House to rein in some of D.C.'s local ordinances. Other proposals being considered would rescind D.C. Council policies allowing city employees to not comply with requests from the Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Associated Press
26 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Takeaways from New Jersey's primaries: GOP nominee's win is also a victory for Trump
NORTH BERGEN, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey primary voters have chosen their GOP nominee — and President Donald Trump notched a win in his endorsement belt — in one of two high-stakes governor's races being held this year. While officials from both parties say November's general election will hinge on local, pocketbook issues, the outcome will also be closely watched as a harbinger of how both parties might fare in next year's midterm elections, and as a test of both Democratic enthusiasm and how the GOP fares without Trump on the ballot. Here are takeaways from Tuesday's primary results: Trump notches a decisive win 2025's off-year elections have been rough for Republicans and Trump. The president went all in on Wisconsin's state Supreme Court race this spring, backing conservative Brad Schimel, even as polls showed Schimel lagging his Democratic-backed rival. Schimel went on to lose by a whopping 10 points, even after billionaire Elon Musk and groups he backed poured $21 million into the race. This time, Trump's chosen candidate, Republican front-runner Jack Ciattarelli, easily won the nomination. 'Jack Ciattarelli is a WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement – HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN,' Trump wrote in a social media post announcing his endorsement last month. 'MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, ELECT JACK CIATTARELLI!' After losing in 2021 to term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy by the slimmest of margins, Ciattarelli is hoping his third try for the office will be the charm. The endorsement was a blow, in particular, to Ciattarelli rival Bill Spadea, a conservative radio host who ran by vowing to enthusiastically back the president's agenda. Ciattarelli, he complained in one ad, 'did more than disagree with the president. He disrespected him. Me? I've been a supporter of President Trump since he came down the escalator.' He said voters should feel free to flout Trump's advice: 'I've disagreed with him in the past. It's ok for you to disagree with him now.' Trump alluded to the name dropping during a tele-rally he held on Ciattarelli's behalf. 'Other people are going around saying I endorsed them. That's not true,' he said. Another primary all about Trump Candidates on both sides of the aisle vowed to tackle pocketbook issues, from high property taxes to grocery prices, to housing and health care costs. But Trump loomed large. On the GOP side, most of the candidates professed their allegiances to the president. Ciattarelli said in ads that he would work with Trump and end New Jersey's status as a sanctuary state 'on Day One.' (Currently, the state's attorney general has directed local law enforcement not to assist federal agents in civil immigration matters.) He also pledged to direct his attorney general to end lawsuits filed against the Trump administration, including one challenging Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship. Democrats featured him heavily, too. In one ad, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill — who won the Democratic primary for New Jersey governor on Tuesday — featured an armada of pickup trucks waving giant Trump flags and warned that, 'Trump's coming for New Jersey with Trump-endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli.' 'We've gotta stop them,' it said. In another, she tells viewers, 'I know the world feels like it is on fire right now,' and vows to 'stand up to Trump and Musk with all I've got.' Past insults forgotten Back in 2015, Ciattarelli labeled then-candidate Trump a 'charlatan' who was unfit for the office of the presidency and an embarrassment to the nation. 'Instead of providing the kind of leadership that appeals to the better angels of our nature in calling us to meaningful and just action, Mr. Trump preys upon our worst instincts and fears,' he wrote. When Ciattarelli ran in 2021, he distanced himself from Trump, without the outward insults. Trump nonetheless complained about the treatment on Spadea's radio show last year, saying Ciattarelli 'made some very big mistakes' and would have won had he sought Trump's support. But like Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and so many others, past insults gave way to alliance. Trump offered his enthusiastic backing in a tele-rally, and in his endorsement, said that, 'after getting to know and understand MAGA,' Ciattarelli 'has gone ALL IN, and is now 100% (PLUS!).' A changing state November's presidential election offered warning signs for Democrats in the state. While Trump lost to Democrat Kamala Harris, he did so by only 6 points — a significantly smaller margin than in 2020, when President Joe Biden won by 16 points. 'New Jersey's ready to pop out of that blue horror show,' Trump said in the tele-rally held for Ciattarelli last week. Trump also made stunning gains in several longtime Democratic strongholds, including New Jersey's heavily Latino Passaic County. He carried the city of Passaic and significantly increased his support in Paterson, which is majority Latino and also has a large Muslim community. Indeed, 43% of Latino voters in the state supported Trump, up from 28% in 2020, according to AP VoteCast. November's election will serve as a crucial test for Democrats and whether they can regain Latino support — both in the state and nationally. Strategists, unions, organizers and politicians so far were pivoting away from immigration and focusing on pocketbook concerns in their appeals. 'At the end of the day, if you're worried about paying your bills and being safe at night, everything else is secondary,' Rep. Josh Gottheimer, one of the Democratic candidates, told the AP. 'I think that is front and center in the Latino community.' One exception was Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested while trying to join an oversight tour of a 1,000-bed immigrant detention center. A trespass charge was later dropped, but he sued interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba over the dropped prosecution. In one of his final campaign ads in Spanish, he used footage from the arrest to cast himself as a reluctant warrior, with text saying he is 'El Único,' Spanish for 'the only one,' who confronts Trump.