Real Time with Bill Maher - Overtime – Episode #595: Nicole Perlroth, Laura Coates, Andrew Yang

Episode Date: April 2, 2022

Bill Maher and his guests answer viewer questions after the show. (Originally aired 4/01/22) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to an HBO podcast from the HBO late-night series, Real Time with Bill Maugh. Must be done good. Okay, we're on overtime. Here, Laura, do you think Merrick Garland is taking too long to press criminal charges

related to January 6th? Will the movement lose momentum if he keeps stalling? Yes, I think the public perception and the patience of the American public has a shelf life of dairy. And I think that it's, time to have more insight, more transparency. And of course, public hearings on the congressional

side, too. But he has done something. That's true. But I think people want more, given the volume of people who were allowed to walk out of the Capitol that day. And, I mean, I saw that there was seven hours missing on the call logs. Now, this January 6th committee looking into the event of that day wanted Trump to turn over his call records, and he did, except for seven hours. when all the shit was going down. It seems like this is not the first time he is just blatantly give you the slap in the face, and nothing happens. That's, I think, what people are upset about.

Something like that can happen, and it's so blatant. And then Merrick Garland, as Attorney General, maybe he's the new Robert Mueller. You know, somebody we thought was going to be a badass, and it's just not working out. I talk to people all the time who are, making the case that look, maybe Trump won't run again in 2024 because of the legal proceedings against him. And this is what a lot of Americans are asking themselves right now is that are some of the actions that led up to January 6th actually going to result in something that derails?

What looks to me to be him coming back and winning the Republican nomination in 2024. Yeah, you think he's going to run and win. I do too. I mean, at least the nomination. I mean, he does, he is faltering in some ways. the crowds and so forth. But when the campaign starts again, and he starts attacking the people who, you know, challenge him. I know some of the people who I think are going to challenge him

for the Republican nomination. I'm obviously rooting hard for them. Like? I guess I got out that. You know, I'd have to ask their permission and all that jazz. Call them. Let's ask now. Well, it's not that kid.

It can't be that big a secret. I know. There are a number of people gearing up to challenge Trump. the Republican nomination. People that you have respect for? Yes, yeah. I call them sane Republicans. Oh.

No. And there are many. There are many that. Larry Hogan and Maryland, a guy like that you're talking about, the government? I like and admire Larry Hogan a great deal. So that would be an example of someone who I think could make a very, very strong case. If the Republican primary electorate is actually ready to hear that case and move on from Trump. Right now, though, Trump still has a very, very strong hold among the,

you know, like the most fervent party activists. So, but, you know, but I do hear from Republicans who are going to run against him. They're like, hey, maybe some legal action will come in and, you know, take Trump out, or maybe Trump's actually just posturing because he wants to keep attention on him. So this is one of the major variables they suggest to me.

If something's going to happen, I agree with you. It has to happen soon. I mean, until, if there were to ever be a criminal allegation against Donald Trump, until that happens, I think he remains Teflon Don. to his entire base. This is somebody who, within recent weeks, has praised Vladimir Putin as a genius,

and then wondered why people thought about collusion and Russia, and then sued Hillary Clinton and DNC and others, including James Comey, for having the audacity to say that he was in favor of Russia and collusion. I mean, I don't think this is somebody who views any part of the Justice Department to date as being truly threatening. Now, what's happening in New York

and the idea of the organization, his children, etc., that might be something. to raise enough eyebrows among people. But I think until that happens, which is why the concern is, until there is actual action taken, he will be able to say, well, aha, there was no there there,

whether it's true or not. But I think that the American people have to realize that the Department of Justice has taken action. They have prosecuted. And much like we talk about how much there was sustained for the notion of Republicans

catering to an audience of one, the DOJ does not cater to a defendant prospectively of one. There were hundreds of people inside of that capital that day, and there are other crimes happening every single day. And so they have to balance the priorities of those over being perceived as political. Okay, maybe I'm just naive, but I heard. Again, with Trump, I only go what I actually have heard.

So we don't have to talk about speculation. What I know. Like when he said, you know, I said to Comey, this is a hoax. Russia, if you're listening, you know, the crimes that are committed right. I heard him on the tape say to the guy in Georgia who counts the votes. If you could just find me 11,000 more. Yeah. I'm not a lawyer, but what?

If you can find me, why is just that? As long as you do your crimes out loud, you won't get caught. Maybe they're soft on crime, Bill. You know, you never just say how that goes about your things. itself. Well, that's the problem, though. Just take that one out, and, you know, you can't do that. Remember Bogdana?

Bagoiavich. Didn't he promise, like, my old golf clubs? I mean, it was like such a lesser version of that. A thing of value. Okay. Republicans hold a 17-point advantage. Wow. In voter enthusiasm. Whoa. To my point. The last time the gap was this why Democrats lost more than 60 House seats. Wouldn't a third party at this point...

Oh, this is a... This is probably you. This is for me. Thank you. This is somebody... Somebody teed this one up for you, I see. Wouldn't a third party at this point just hurt Democrats? Oh, no. Oh, no.

And then the left hook came around. Wouldn't a third party hurt Democrats? Oh, sorry. You got snookered there. Well... So, if you look at a big picture, our system is... uniquely vulnerable to authoritarianism because you have this two-party system where one party succumbs to terrible leadership like Donald Trump, then everything falls under him. If you look at other countries around the world, the UK has five parties, Germany has seven

parties, Sweden has eight parties, and then if one party loses its mind, the system goes on. It's not an existential threat. So the question is, how do you get from a two-party system that, by the way, is getting more polarized, more dysfunctional, more people are getting fed up? And the reason why so many Democrats are unenthused is that they came out and were told, look, you get Trump out, then all these great things will happen. And then as their lives have stayed the same or in some cases gotten worse, then they were saying, why do you want me to come out again in 22?

Why do you want me to come out in 24? You can't make every election existential and fear-based, or else eventually your voters start to tune out. Right. Okay. You were great. I did want to mention that my podcast, which has only been out for less than two weeks, went to number one on the apple of all talks.

I don't know. So I want to thank the people who are not listening to this thing. It's not like this show. It's not political, but I guess it's fun to people. So thank you, and it's out there. All right, thank you, everybody. You're a great crowd. Catch all new episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher every Friday night at 10

or watch them anytime on HBO on demand. For more information, log on to HBO.com.