The Chris Cuomo Project - Bill Maher (Cuomo Extra)

Episode Date: October 6, 2022

In this special extra from NewsNation’s “Cuomo,” Chris Cuomo speaks with comedian Bill Maher (HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher”) about why both the left and the right fight so hard for America, whether Joe Biden should replace Kamala Harris as Vice President on a potential 2024 ticket, how the issue of abortion may impact the 2022 midterm elections, and more. Follow and subscribe to The Chris Cuomo Project on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube for new episodes every Tuesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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I already made the first decision for us. It's just going to come out of my own pocket. So check out the gear at the link that you see here. And now for the special. Bill Maher talking on a range of things, including his own rap within the Hollywood industry. Very interesting. We use it on our show at NewsNation, but here is the interview in full. Bill Maher. Support for The Chris Cuomo Project comes from Sundays. Now, we got a problem in the Cuomo house.

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Okay? That's what happens with your first purchase. So make it. Go to drinkag1.com slash ccp. Drinkag1.com slash ccp. Check it out. Appreciate you being on. I really do. Thank you, Bill. Always great to be with you, Chris. All right. So let me get some context for you. Last week, you said many people, both Democrats and Republicans, are anti-American.

You don't love America if you hate what it stands for. Explain. I don't know if I use the word anti-American, but I ask the question, what do you like about America? Because I think it's a relevant question to ask people in this country at this moment, why are you fighting so hard for it if you don't seem to like anything in it? And then I mentioned first with the Republicans, they don't seem to really care very much for democracy. They stood with a guy who tried to have a coup and still are. They don't have a lot of good words to say about law enforcement, which always was kind of a big part of their portfolio. The FBI, they're constantly attacking them, even the

military. So what do you like about America? Why are you fighting for it so hard? And on the left, there's just this constant malaise about what a horrible country we are and our sorry history. And yes, we do have a sorry history with a lot to be sorry about. But it's still in perspective, you know, the last best hope. And we are a country that does change and has made a lot of progress. So I don't know why everyone has to be that down on it. And I just think we have a lot of problems

in this country right now. We don't need to add to it by just having this ridiculous sort of hatred of our own situation and our own country, that there's actually a lot of good still there. What do you think our biggest problem is? Well, I think there's always the environment is always looming over us, but that's more of a long term, although it's getting shorter. I mean, we see it, you know, with the hurricane in Florida, not that hurricanes haven't always hit Florida, but obviously these weather events that happen out here, it's incredible

drought and fires. These events that happen are obviously souped up. They're obviously worse than they used to be. And so that is always number one on my list. So I'm kind of thrilled that we finally got a president who finally got a bill passed that at least starts to address this. The more immediate one is democracy. That's not, you know, five years, 10 years. That's a few years away because, trust me, in January of 2025, Donald Trump is going to show up for the inauguration whether he wins or not. You really believe that? And that's a real problem. I totally believe that. You think he's going to show up for the inauguration whether he wins or not. You really believe that?

And that's a real problem. I totally believe that. You think he's going to run again? He's definitely going. Of course he's going to run again. Are you kidding? He thinks about nothing but. It's everything he loves. It's a fight.

It's revenge. He hasn't given up on the way. He hasn't conceded the last election. Of course he's going to run again. And if he does, it'd be very hard to deny him the nomination. I mean, his fans are rabid. Now, much less of the Republican Party wants him as the standard bearer than last time, but good luck trying to take it away from him. We know what kind of a gutter fighter he is when he gets into a scrap. So good luck with that,

DeSantis. And then when he runs, I mean, anything is possible. I mean, look, half the country just will never vote for a Democrat for whatever reason, ever. So you're already at 50-50 when you begin. Do you believe that we're really 50-50 or do you believe that that is an exaggerated projection of our social media reality that many of us in the media echo as if it were true vox populi, a true reflection of this country? Well, I don't know. If you break it down by what matters, which is states, because we have an electoral college, it just seems to be a very close race every time. And, you know, one headline I can always predict in early November is race titans. Hard to predict who. Yeah. I mean, there's there's a lot of people in this country who just

have their mind made up based on party before the nominees are even out there. It doesn't really matter. 20 percent less Republicans want Trump to be the standard bearer next time. And yet, if it's Trump versus the Democrat, it's a dead heat. That should tell you a lot. And what do you think about on the other side of the ball? Do you think President Biden will run again? Do you think he should run again? Yeah. I mean, we were talking about on my show tonight, it's a very strange paradox that's going on with Joe Biden right now. I noticed that when I talked to friends, the first thing out of their mouth about Joe Biden is, well, he shouldn't run again. And then you say, well, do you think he's doing a good job? He's doing great.

He's doing great. We won't run anymore of that. What does that tell you? It tells you that this country's ageist. And so they just are obsessed with the idea that he's 79 years old and they think anybody that age is about to keel over. And, you know, obviously as you get into that age range, the possibility is higher. It's also higher that you're wiser, which is why he has gotten so much done in the last year because he's been there. He's done that. He's seen that movie before. He's seen the pattern. It came around again. He knew what to do. He did wind up getting things done that nobody thought he could get done, like having Congress work together on a number of really important bills. Climate change, as I just mentioned. I thought he handled Iraq. Iraq. Sorry, I got my wars mixed up.

Handled Ukraine, I think, as well as that could have been handled. So first of all, I think he will run again because I think once you are president, you don't give it up. That is a piece of real estate he has been trying to get for a very long time. He finally got it. And as I say, he's been rather successful in a lot of major areas. Why would you give it up? And who's going to take it away from him? Would you prefer somebody other than Biden? Like who? Name somebody and I'll tell you. I don't know. That's why I'm asking you the question. Exactly. And that's the problem with the Democrats when you go, oh, we don't want Biden. Then who? Oh, now you're stumped. What

about the VP? Well, that's an interesting question, too, because obviously one reason that Biden's age is an issue with a lot of people is, again, they think he's going to die tomorrow. So they are very hyper concerned about who the vice president is. It takes on more relevance when the president is elderly. So the fact that Kamala Harris is not popular at all is a real detriment for the Democrats. Now, it's not unheard of for presidents to switch their VP choice after one term. It's been done before, and he could choose somebody else. Would you suggest that? And if so, whom?

I don't know. I mean, yes, I would suggest it, actually. And I like Kamala Harris. But for some reason, she has not turned out to be a very good politician. And I don't know if she can reverse the, you know, sometimes a reputation just takes on a life of its own. It's not even the person's fault, mainly. You're telling me. It just does. And she, yeah. Oh, you hit me good with that one. Yeah. But who would you pick? Who do you think's better for Biden than Harris? Oh, I have no idea. And who do you think Trump should run with? Do you think that there's anyone he could run with that would make him more palatable to you or anybody else who doesn't like him?

No, because it's all it wouldn't even matter. I wouldn't I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even give it a second thought. They just handed him a list of names on a piece of paper and he picked the one he recognized. It could be back Gary Busey. I mean, it just doesn't matter. It's all about him. It always will be about him. It has to be somebody subservient. And who is that subservient? If it is somebody that we know, I'd actually be surprised. I bet you it's some sort of very dark horse. You know, somebody that Trump, you know, this guy was in business with him. He's a fantastic businessman. You know, it just be something at a left field like that. Nobody will care. What if it were Senator Tim Scott? Oh, yes. I've heard that mentioned many times. I mean, that look, I think Tim Scott, but look, Trump is not young either. And he makes

zero concessions to age. At least Biden tries. He's married to a doctor. I think he tries to watch his weight. I mean, Trump, you know, I mean, how he's still going, I have no idea, but that's just his genes. He's a city roach. Nothing will ever kill him. But Tim Scott, I think, would be, look, any Republican would be a vast improvement,

in my view, over Donald Trump. Tim Scott, he's a very conservative guy, but, you know, conservative is not a bad word. You know, I mean, we have to get over this hatred of the other side because their politics are different. You know, this thing I call the good as it gets Republican, you know, Bill Barr, Mitch McConnell, Liz Cheney, Mike Pence. At the end of the day, they all did the right thing on the one key issue, which is, did Trump win that election? And they all said, no, he didn't. Okay, I don't agree with their politics on much else, but that's as good as it gets Republican. You're not going to get them to agree with you on most things. If you went down a

list of the things Liz Cheney believes, most liberals would be booing her out of the room. But she gets cheers now because on that one issue, which is the most fundamental issue right now, she did the right thing. So let's build a new Republican Party based on that. Do you believe that there will be any kind of wave in the upcoming midterms? A wave?

Yeah, like a big red event with Republicans or a big blue event with the Democrats? Do you think the state of play stays as it is in terms of the balance of power? What do you think happens? I don't know. I mean, that's a good question for Nostradamus. I mean, you could make a case for either side because abortion is going to bring, I mean, the Supreme Court, obviously, their recent ruling on that, that is going to bring out a lot of people. I mean, that one is one that hits close to home. Politicians are always looking for issues that gets right into the home. Guns do

it for the right. I've said for years, if only Democrats would fully legalize marijuana, you can get a lot of people out of the House to vote on that. It's something that's in your home. You touch it. You feel it. It's personal. This one is really personal. And a lot of people don't like it. You know, kids today are kids today are a handful. And if you don't want them, you really don't want them. I think I think the larger outline of the thing, like when people call it abortion, I was watching some coverage right before we did this interview. I don't think it's the right way to pitch it. I think the problem that Republicans could have is what we used to refer to as the dog that caught

the car. And this was always something that was great to talk about as a moral position, but it's now a rights issue. I don't think it's as simple as abortion. It's reproductive rights for women who were either on the fence or hadn't really considered it because of Roe. But now you've had a standard where half of your political leadership says, yeah, women should be able to be told what they can do with their body. And the question is, will that resonate through the ranks on Election Day? Well, I mean, that's the kind of thing people talk about on talk shows. In people's homes, it's very different. One, half the country, or not half, I don't know what the numbers are, in people's homes, it's very different. One, half the country,

or not half, I don't know what the numbers are, but it's fairly even, thinks it's murder, and that's it. So it doesn't help to say you hate women to these people. I'm pro-choice, but I'm not down with that. They don't hate women. That's not their thing. They think it's murder. They don't hate women. That's not their thing. They think it's murder. And look, it's that gray area. It's not life. It's undeniably becoming a life. If that's where your heart is, that you think it's murder, you can't say, oh, well, except for people who have a vagina, they can commit murder. That's their point of view. You're never going to have a, you know, this is why this is a silly conversation to have at a dinner table with someone. You're never going to talk somebody either way out of it or into it. But it's a very interesting litmus test for our politics,

because the only real question in terms of the true nexus of law and politics, which can create culture, is viability. When is a fetus a person with attached legal rights? Is it at day zero? person with attached legal rights? Is it at day zero? Is it what they had as the amicus brief standard of viability in Roe? Or is it something else? Until you answer that question, you can have nothing but an argument. And maybe that's what the parties want, is to benefit from the fight, as we see with immigration and other issues, rather than be pushing for a solution. I don't know about that one, because again, I think it's pretty absolute if you think it's murder. But I do know this, you're right about the dog that caught the car, because the Republicans are going to pay.

I mean, it may not lose them the election, but it's going to throw a big scare into them. And you can tell that that's how they feel about it, because a lot of the Republican politicians who were all for this happening with the Supreme Court now are very quiet about it. They just don't want to talk about it. The Chris Cuomo project is supported by Cozy Earth. Why? Because I like their sheets. That's why. A lot of people don't get a good night's sleep for a lot of reasons. One of the ones that you can control is bedding. One out of three of us report being sleep deprived. Okay, well, what is it? Well, it stresses all kinds of things. But the wrong sheets can make you hot, can make you cold.

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I tell the truth. I don't perform for just one half of the country and say the things that will make them applaud. And there's something wrong with that. And there's very talented people you're talking about and do fine shows. But I just, this has always been my bond with the audience, which is much more important to me than an award, is that I will call it as I see it. And what's different, I mean, I have been nominated, I think, 40 times. Yes. Never won, which is for the same reason. In recent years, yes, not even a nomination because, of course, the nominating body out

here is very woke, and wokeness become a big thing. And woke, I say, meaning woke with an eye roll kind of woke. I mean, there is a kind of woke that's valid when it started. It became ridiculous. So many things about the left now contain some level of ridiculousness. And I not only call that out, I love calling it out. First of all, it's the thing that the liberals should be doing more than anything else, is criticizing their own side for what's losing them elections. But besides that, I'm a comedian. I go where it's funny. And years ago, they used to say, you know, why aren't there any, you know, funny right-wing comedians?

And I would tell them, because the left doesn't do anything as ridiculous as the right. It was easy to make fun of Sarah Palin and still is. And I still do, by the way, most of what I make fun of is still on the right. But, you know, now we have equivalents of insanity like that. We talked about it on the show tonight, this Atlantic article that was just published a couple of weeks ago where someone was saying we should not have men and women sports teams. They should all be on the same team. Separating men and women in sports doesn't make sense. It's like the name of the article, but it does make sense. And Democrats have become, in too many ways, the party of no common sense, or at least they don't stand up to it when people do stuff that makes no sense.

stand up to it when people do stuff that makes no sense. And I'm happy to stand up to it. But yes, it's not going to win you any awards in Hollywood. And that's OK. Last question, and I appreciate you for doing this. What gives you the most hope that things in America get better? Well, that's a now you stumped me, Chris, with the hope question. I don't know. I you know, you mentioned immigration. I mean, I have done a number of commentaries here on the fact that the one you just mentioned about the people who don't like America on left and the right, but I said at the end, but you know who does love this country? Immigrants, because they have perspective

that most Americans just don't have. They came from someplace that's so much worse, and they get here and they're like, what are you people bitching about? This is the greatest country in the world. Now, whether it's the greatest country in the world, I don't know. I haven't lived all over the world. I'm not asking for the check.

I'm going to go down with it if it's going to go down. I'm going to keep trying to make it better. But that is a hopeful thing, is that we are a nation that keeps renewing itself with people who believe in it. And yeah, more of that. Hey, listen, congratulations on your new gig. You deserve it and you're going to be great. Listen, I appreciate it. I appreciate the advice. I appreciate the friendship and I appreciate you being on the show. Bill Maher, continued success

with what you're doing. Keep trusting in the people because they put you on top. Thanks. I appreciate it. Very interesting about Marr and what he says about Hollywood and guys like Trevor Noah and Oliver. Very interesting. He's not just saying what gets applause for one side, and maybe that's what makes all the difference, and ultimately the joke will wind up being on the other guys. Thank you very much for watching the interview. Remember to subscribe and follow. Appreciate you being part of the Chris Cuomo Project. I'll see you next time.