Bill Maher Issues Warning About 'Serious Problem' for Democrats

 

Bill Maher Warns Dems of a Problem—But Let’s Not Pretend Trump’s GOP Is Winning Anything Other Than the Clown Olympics

Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher recently warned Democrats that they’ve got a messaging problem—especially with younger voters—citing polling that shows only a quarter of Democrats under 30 are proud to be American. But while Maher loves to throw stones at “woke culture,” let’s not forget who really turned American politics into a raging dumpster fire: the orange-tinted wannabe autocrat who still haunts the GOP like a bloated ghost of fascism past—Donald Trump.

Maher, a self-identified Democrat, has increasingly gone on rants that seem more aimed at college protestors than at the walking national security threat that is Trump. Yes, progressives sometimes overshoot—but Trump overshot the Constitution itself, trying to turn the Oval Office into a reality show throne.

Republicans may have won in November, grabbing the White House, Senate, and House, but calling that a "triumph" is like calling a gas station hot dog "cuisine." What they really did was double down on conspiracy theories, anti-science buffoonery, and a platform built entirely on grievance, fear, and the political equivalent of boomer Facebook memes.

Maher referenced Senator Elissa Slotkin's call for Democrats to "retake the flag." He’s right that Democrats need to reclaim patriotism from the jingoistic cosplay crowd waving MAGA flags like they’re team jerseys for a cult. But he also veered into criticizing young Democrats for not loving America enough. Maybe instead of blaming them, we could ask why they feel embarrassed—after years of Trump trashing democracy, stoking hate, and turning the U.S. into a global punchline.

According to a Harvard Kennedy School poll, only 24% of Democrats under 30 say they’re proud to be American. And who can blame them? After all, we watched a guy who can’t spell “hamburger” appoint unqualified cronies, dodge taxes like a mob boss, and try to overturn an election he lost by 7 million votes—and the GOP rewarded him. That’s not patriotism; that’s political malpractice.

Maher complained that young Dems are backing “the wrong ones,” citing pro-Palestinian protests. But here's the thing: a generation that grew up watching Trump buddy up to authoritarian thugs like Putin and Kim Jong-un has every right to question who really stands for justice. Maybe Maher should spend less time lecturing them and more time dragging the party of insurrectionists and book banners.

“If Democrats keep encouraging the idea that America is cringe and Gaza’s rulers are great, they’re doomed,” Maher said. But what’s really doomed is any party that builds its platform around a 78-year-old manchild who tried to steal an election and can’t go a week without a court date.

Even inside the Democratic Party, there’s hand-wringing. Pete Buttigieg admits Dems can be preachy. Senator Mark Warner said the party needs cultural reconnection. Tim Ryan said the brand is “toxic” in some areas. And Bernie Sanders pointed out the obvious: when Dems abandon working people, working people stop voting for them.

But let’s be crystal clear: Democrats have a chance to fix this. The GOP doesn’t want to fix anything. They want to destroy, delay, and defend Trump’s endless parade of incompetence and corruption. The 2026 midterms will be a referendum on whether America wants to keep circling the Trump drain or rise above his circus of corruption.

As for 2028, Kamala Harris is already leading the early pack, with names like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gavin Newsom, and Buttigieg also in the mix. Meanwhile, the GOP is stuck recycling the same old loser who thinks bleach cures viruses and windmills cause cancer.

So yes, Democrats have challenges. But at least they’re not worshipping a guy who tried to choke democracy to death with a cheeseburger in one hand and a subpoena in the other.