Bill Maher claimed he has ‘some standing’ with conservatives, but still called Trump’s supporters part of ‘a cult’: ‘Got to get a little smarter’

On Friday’s Real Time, Bill Maher said he believes he has “some standing” with conservatives. He recounted what those viewers tell him when they approach him in person. They say they know he is not on their team.

Maher said they also told him that he respects them and will not dismiss them. He said they mentioned there is no talk about being barred from Thanksgiving. According to Mediaite, he called that talk “bullsh–t.”

The comments came during a segment on the midterm elections. Maher argued that Democrats “have this one in the bag.” He said those races will serve as referendums on President Donald Trump and how he has done the job.

Maher told MAGA viewers they are in a cult and need to get a little smarter

Maher then addressed supporters who have stayed loyal to Trump. He said he just had to speak to “you people.” Maher’s critiques are not limited to Trump supporters, as he has also called out Wisconsin candidate Francesca Hong over her comments about whiteness. He said he knows they dislike it when he calls them names.

He said they are “not that bright,” and that on the subject of Trump, they are “not that bright.” “You’re just not that kind of person. It is a cult. And you’ve got to get a little smarter,” Maher said.

He asked how many times the con man can run the same con while they still applaud for it. He said he does not get it. The host had been joking that Trump’s promise of $5,000 checks if Republicans win the midterms is a fantasy.

Maher compared that promise to earlier pledges about payments from DOGE cuts and tariffs. The Real Time host often criticizes both Democrats and Republicans on the program.

On the Friday episode, he also drew an unfavorable contrast between Democrats who accuse Israel of a “genocide” in Gaza and the 9/11 terrorists. He returned to a remark from 2001 that had drawn heavy criticism at the time.

Maher said the 9/11 terrorists who took down the Twin Towers could not be called cowards. “I know a guy whose show got canceled just for saying the terrorists weren’t cowards. And that guy was right,” he stated.

“They weren’t cowards, but I’ll tell you who is: Democratic party politicians,” Maher said. Maher has often made such points about political figures, like when Bernie Sanders agreed with him that Trump is more socialist than Democrats. He said he would explain why. He stated that nowhere has this moral confusion become more obvious than in a place called Gaza.