Real Time with Bill Maher - Overtime – Episode #734: Rep. Ro Khanna, Jonathan Martin

Episode Date: June 23, 2026

Bill Maher and his guests answer viewer questions after the show. (Originally aired 6/19/26) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This spring, denim gets a softer, lighter update. Introducing Old Navy's drapey denim wide leg, a new fit that moves with you. It's everything you want denim to feel like for summer. Easy, breathable, and effortlessly cool. With a fit that creates natural movement and a wide leg that feels modern, not overwhelming. Plus, that signature, wait, for this price, moment. Old Navy's drapey denim wide leg. Welcome to an HBO podcast.

from the HBO late-night series, Real Time with Bill Maugh. All right, he's Politico's senior political columnist and host of the On the Road podcast, Jonathan Martin, and he's a Democratic congressman who represents Silicon Valley, Representative Brokana. Okay. All right, from the people, the questions are for you guys, what are the panel's thoughts on Hillary Clinton saying that Joe Biden's presidential re-election bid was a terrible mistake? Well, I mean, we all came to that conclusion a long time ago. But the timing was interesting because it was the same week that Obama was opening his presidential library.

And you had the Obama's, obviously, on stage. But right behind the Obama's bill, you had the Clintons on one end and the Biden's on the other end. It was a little frosty between the Bidens and the Clintons, I think because of that comment, she was saying out loud what I think has become received wisdom, gospel truth among most Democrats, row. But where was she in 2022 and 2023? where were every prominent Democrat in the lead-up to the re-election that Biden should not have pursued? The Democrats' original sin, yes, Biden running again. It was bigger than that.

It was Democrats in Congress, the governor's not saying a damn word about Biden running again, and in fact enabling it and saying he should run again in 2024, when privately you know and I know they were really worried about him doing it again. Look, it was obviously a mistake for him to run again. but you know what, we just, I respect Secretary Hillary Clinton, I respect these folks, they need to exit stage left, let a new generation lead. And I don't know why she's having these conversations. People want to hear from Andy Bashir, from Mamdani, from Pete Buttigieg.

There are a lot of great people in the next generation. Thank you for your service. You've had your time. Let a new generation lead. So you think Mamdani is a great one, huh? I do. I mean, don't. Did you see his Nick speech?

I mean, anyone was so... Not the issue that most concerned me. I don't need. It's worth to watch, because the speech was not just about the Knicks. First of all, he recites every Knicks player. I mean, I couldn't do that about the 40Nex. He's the mayor of New York.

Yeah, but he talks about how it's actually bringing people together. Trump voters, Mombani voters, how it's overcoming the odds. And he took a speech that was just about celebrating a championship, and he made something bigger about it. He's a talented... Well, it doesn't make me forget that his wife loved October 7th attack on Israel

and that he pals around with terrorists. No, come on. Have you had him on the show? We ask people like that, Roe, they never come. I'll talk to him. I would love that. I think he should come. I think he should too. I do, too. I would love it to him. He's a smart guy, and I think you would find... I'm not saying he's not a smart guy. He went to the White House. Yeah. I mean, he took... I know. He went to there, but he can't come here? Yeah. He should come here? Oh, so should AOC? So should all of the Democrats?

No, they should come. You don't bite. You can find. You're fine. You're fine. I voted for them. Not him. But I mean, I... He needs Trump's money, though, and he doesn't need your money here, unfortunately. But the reason he was there, stroke the Trump, was because he needs federal help for New York. And so he understood he had to be there playing the Trump's ego in vanity because he can't have the feds being hostile to New York City. He needs federal help.

Look, I think it's bigger than that, Jonathan. I agree with the strategic, but I think he has a view that you go. You talk to everyone. You engage everyone. You engage Trump. That's why you should come here. Not real time, apparently, unfortunately. Well, I mean, there's definitely.

Democrats and there's Democrat Socialists. I mean, those are two distinct parts of the same party. I mean, they are obviously in a coalition together. But people who are Democratic Socialists make that distinction. They say, I am a Democratic socialist. That's Bernie Sanders. That's Mondami. That's the mayor of Seattle.

A number of them. And so far, it plays in big cities, but there's no evidence yet that you can take that outside of major metro cores in this country. And I think one of the fascinating tests of the 2028 campaign for president is, is there going to be somebody that reflects those views that can play beyond a New York, a Seattle, now in Washington, D.C. Look, Bernie Sanders is 0 for two running for president, okay? So it has been tried previously, and it hasn't worked.

So the question is, can this play on the road somewhere else, South Carolina, New Hampshire, or Nevada, beyond a big city? It hasn't so far. Well, first of all, we're in a different time than 2020. And many people have seen income inequality soar these wars. that they don't like. But you aren't a socialist, are you? Well, I call myself a progressive capitalist,

and I call myself for economic patriotism, rebuild the FDR coalition, but make sure it includes the Black South, where we're talking about building new factories in places like Pennsylvania, having new trade schools, having health care for everyone with Medicare for all. I believe having economic development

and economic bill of rights, you can have a majority coalition. FDR did it, he did four terms. But you say the party, the tent is big enough for both the Democrats and the Democratic Socialists, because can I read you some of the things that are in the Democratic Socialist

platform? Sure. Okay, because some of them I agree with. Here's the ones I agree with. Reduce military spending. I've been saying that forever. Especially in the age of drones. Buying fighter planes is ridiculous.

I appreciate you to say that because I'm one of the only votes on the House Armed Services Committee. They go, they boo me when I vote no. But I was like, why are we spending 65% on the military? Close bases overseas, saying that forever. Restore voting rights to criminal. criminal convictions.

We should be doing that a long time ago. Statehood for D.C., I'm for that. Get rid of the Electoral College. Okay. Can I read you the ones that I think are crazy? Sure. I mean, I may not agree with them either. Universal health care, no premiums, no co-pays, no deductibles.

They tried this in Vermont. They couldn't get it to work. You could do it nationally. It's worked in Taiwan. It's worked. Taiwan is not a state road. I hate to say, Ed. No, but look, it's worked in Canada.

We pay twice as much for health care as any other industrialized country, and we've got the worst health care outcomes. If you had a single pay, if you just expand Medicare, Moynihan wanted to do this, if you expand Medicare for everyone, and everyone has to pay a little bit. So why couldn't it work in a state like Vermont? I mean, they've also proposed it here in California, and the budget would have to be like $800 million.

It would be like twice or three times what we pay for everything. The U.S. Congress is not going to end private health care in this country. They're just not. No one is talking about ending private health care. They're trying to be expanding Medicare. And then if you have Medicare with a hearing and vision and dental. And then you expand it. Then people can still get supplemental private insurance.

The reality is Medicare works. And if you're expanding it is the biggest way to lower costs in this country and get everyone covered. I don't think you look at what has worked when Johnson created Medicare. He envisioned that it would eventually cover everyone. The reason we don't have it is private health insurance companies spend millions. I'm confused why it would work nationally when it couldn't work even in these two states. Because the states didn't have the waivers to get the money. You need the federal money.

You need the Medicare, Medicaid money that the states didn't have. And so it's hard to do it on a state without the waivers. If you have the waivers and you have the right policy on taxation, then you can do it. It's real fast. What line hurt Obama the most on the ACS? If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. He got jammed on that because people want to keep their doctor. The only thing that people hate more than health care

and health insurance companies is fucking with their health insurance companies because they want to have the same health care. Be screwing with people's health care invariably hurts the party. They're just doing the screwing. I agree with that. You're not talking about national health care. You're talking about national health insurance.

It means you can keep your doctor, you can go see any doctor you want. Every doctor is in network. Visit BetMGM Casino and check out the newest exclusive. The Price is Right Fortune Pick. BetMDM and GameSense remind you to play responsibly, 19 plus to wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly.

If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2,600 to speak to an advisor, free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming, Ontario. Staples Preferred Business Membership, built for busy business owners, because you've got bigger things to think about. With Staples Preferred, get free delivery, no minimums. Staples Preferred unlocks up to 3% back, plus 10% savings on print and exclusive wireless offers.

One less thing on your plate. Actually, a lot less. Visit staples.ca.ca.comperd. That was easy. Are you one of those media strategy people clicking through slides, scrolling spreadsheets? Yes? Good. This is for you. Because on Spotify, there's an audience that's different. Locked in. Loyal, invested. They're called fans. Fans don't just listen to music. They feel seen by it like it belongs to them. So when your brand shows up on Spotify, that's who you're talking to. And you're right next to artists like me, Lizzo. So, are you ready to talk to fans? Spotify advertising. You're among fans. You're among fans. Okay, how about this one?

Workers can migrate free across borders. That seems like I was a loser for the Democrats last time. I don't think that's going to be a winner, or is it really even the right thing to do? Open borders. No, I think we need a secure border, and there's a place you can come in. That's the talek to loser. Limit Supreme Court's power of judicial review. Okay, now we're going back to our history buffs, 1803, Marbury-Barrie.

versus Madison. I mean, no, it wasn't in the Constitution, but it is 1803 that this is what the Supreme Court does. It reviews. Yeah, I'm fine with judicial review, but we should have term limits on these Supreme Court justice. Okay, that's a different issue. Okay. All college free and cancel student loan debt. You know, for the time we were in Iran, literally, we could have free public college in America.

I mean, what would be a better investment for the United States? Literally, for the amount we spent on Iran, we could have... What about canceling student-owned debt? Because a lot of people say, and I would agree with this, it sort of helps the better off people. I mean, the person who doesn't go to college is now going to subsidize the person who's going to make a lot more money because they did go to college.

It doesn't seem actually like a progressive thing to do. I took out a lot of student loans. I've done well. They shouldn't forgive student loans for people like me. But if you're working class, you're first in your family to go to college, you have all this debt, and then you're paying off your debt until you're 50 or 60 and can't get a house. We can pay off that debt, and you know how we pay for it? Tax Elon Musk, tax the billionaire.

You're not taxing the blue-collar, guys. Here's Bill without sexy. Take it, I represent one-third of this nation's wealth. In a 50-mile radius, $20 trillion. Is that right? One-third of the nation's wealth is in my 50-mile radius. Stock market is $70 trillion, $20 trillion. We're producing more wealth than ever before.

And you're telling me we can't have health care and free college for Americans. If Americans, you know, when I go out and I speak and I say, Elon Musk has become a trillionaire, usually people just boo. And I was like, why is that? Why aren't they cheering? It's because they aren't getting anything out of it. But the politics, though, are risky. It's one thing to expand community college access, make that free,

perhaps make, you know, some state universities free. But what Bill's talking about is the politics of telling a blue-collar guy hey, your taxpayer dollars are going to forgive some, you know, college smart ass. He's not paying his loans back. He's like, well, how is that helping me, man? It's so risky. Because that's the Republican frame. What we've got to tell you is the billionaires have screwed you and they've screwed the college kid.

Get the college kid's loans forgiven and put a Marshall Plan in America to build you industry. But Democrats already have a challenge with working class voters that is killing your party. Because we did NAFTA. Because we did China and the World Trade Organization because we watched. like Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where I grew up, fearless work shut down, steel plant shut down, and we didn't do a thing. And you know what? If Donald Trump hadn't won, this is one thing I say to my Democratic friends.

No one would have been going to Warren, Ohio, and Middletown, Ohio, and downriver Michigan. We shafted those communities. We need to say we made a mistake, and we're actually going to invest in those communities. But you can do that and forgive the student loans. If you just tax some of the billionaires in my district, I don't understand it. The guy who represents that area is saying taxed that. How is this hard for 434 other members of Congress?

Well, you're... That's them. Well, with running, man. He's done. We're really pushing that Pennsylvania ankle, aren't you? I mean, it's like... When you run for president, you don't want to be the California guy. I'm the Pennsylvania guy.

Palo Alto never heard of it. Yeah, exactly. Taiwan. All right. What does the panel think of the Supreme Court ruling that habitual marijuana, you know, can't be banned from owning guns. Now you have my attention. Too soon.

No, that's amazing. That's awesome. That's fair. I mean, I want guns, and I can't have them because it's illegal, because I am a, perhaps, or maybe it's just... You know, he's a gun guy?

You would want guns? I don't know. Of course. Why wouldn't you want a gun? I don't know. I mean, I don't have a gun, but, I mean, I respect the Second Amendment, I just didn't, I wouldn't have thought that you had guns. I don't because of that. But yes, I mean, you know, I can't expect the police to be everywhere like that.

I mean, when you need a gun, I mean... Well, now you can go a side piece, so there you go. And, of course, another complaint I would have about California is it almost isn't, makes no sense to have one because you almost can't use it. Because if you do, you might be the one to go to jail. I mean, you can shoot an intruder in your house, but you better do it exactly right. He better be in your bedroom facing you.

Really? Don't shoot him on the lawn. You shoot him on the lawn, you're going to go to jail. I mean, that's kind of ridiculous, isn't it? Well, look, I think that we need to, I'm for investing in police, I'm for having public safety. I don't think the answer to crime should be everyone takes justice into their own hands. Even if there's somebody in your house? Well, of course, if they're in the house, self-defense.

Well, that's what we're talking about. Well, yeah. But in other parts of the country, you've had self-defense taken and people shot. Shot, you know, Trayvon Martin's case. There are cases where people have taken the law in their own hands shot folks who are innocent. Let's go to his sidepiece. No one wants that. Side piece.

We're talking about guns. Thank you very much, everybody. Nice. Both ways. Catch all new episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher every Friday night at 10. Or watch him any time. on HBO On Demand. For more information,

log on to HBO.com.