Bill Maher, 70, Defends Trump Comments About Bombing L.A.

The comedian has rushed to Trump’s defense, telling his audience to “be fair” to the president.

Bill Maher has defended President Donald Trump’s incendiary suggestion that Iran could “take out Los Angeles.”

Trump defended higher gas prices this week as a “small price to pay” for keeping Americans safe, then said, “Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.” Outrage ensued, while Trump insisted he was invoking the cities as examples of what a nuclear-armed Iran could attack, saying higher fuel costs were preferable to destruction.

Maher corroborated Trump’s defense on his Friday show, saying, “Let’s be fair.” He said the “small price” the president meant was high gas prices.

“He wasn’t saying that we were encouraging Iran,” Maher said, defending the president. “But still, you don’t want to say that to people in this city. We live here.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was among the California Democrats who called Trump’s slopiness out. She called the remarks horrifying and “egregious,” saying the president should not treat major American cities as expendable.

Maher, 70, ribbed Bass over her response, saying, “She immediately got on the phone with her travel agent.” That appears to refer to her trip to Ghana during the devastating January 2025 Los Angeles fires.

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Maher has gotten backlash for softening Trump’s public image before. He described the president as “gracious and measured” on an April 11 episode of Real Time, referring to Trump’s demeanor during a White House dinner Maher attended.

Actor Bill Maher and Donald Trump attend the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in 2004.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

The comedian regularly hits at Trump, too, however, and did so again on Friday.

Discussing the upcoming midterm elections, he noted that Trump has become so unpopular he is being forced to campaign in states that “no Republican usually has to campaign in,” like ruby red Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Alabama.

He called it “that time when we give out money,” referring to Trump’s promises of $90 checks to people on Medicare, $500 checks to people on Obamacare, and $5,000 to every American if the Republicans somehow maintain control of Congress in November.

“I think this is what the kids call being thirsty,” Maher joked.

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