Bill Maher, host of HBO's 'Real Time', has suggested that Republicans would 'secretly love' to see Donald Trump incarcerated over the January 6 Capitol riot. Speaking on his show after a month-long break, Maher compared the hypothetical scenario to how Arab countries 'love when Israel would bomb Iraq or Iran.'
During a roundtable discussion with Politico's Sam Stein and Columbia professor John McWhorter, Maher described Trump as the 'cloud hanging over this country' but admitted the January 6 committee hearings were 'pretty impressive.' He noted that many witnesses and prosecutors are Republicans, countering claims that the hearings are purely political.
Maher argued that Attorney General Merrick Garland faces a 'big decision' on whether to bring the case to trial, adding that he believes they should proceed. 'If you guys bring this to court, you got to win the case. He's in jail,' Maher said, asserting that Trump has already shown there would be 'subsequent attempts' because he has 'already attempted it.'
Stein agreed that many Republicans 'privately can't stand the guy' and would not be 'totally disappointed' if Trump faced consequences. McWhorter, however, argued that even if Trump were jailed, his fan base would remain unchanged, likening their belief in him to a religion.
Maher also referenced a 'smoking gun' tape in which Trump asks officials to 'find me 11,000 votes,' joking that supporters would 'be crying their MAGA tears if their boy's in jail.'
