{"id":297746,"date":"2026-05-03T08:49:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T08:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/297746\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T08:49:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T08:49:28","slug":"bill-maher-clashes-with-newsom-over-california-leaders-says-other-side-will-ask-have-you-seen-the-stats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/297746\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill Maher clashes with Newsom over California leaders, says other side will ask, \u2018Have you seen the stats?’"},"content":{"rendered":"

California Gov. Gavin Newsom<\/a> was grilled by “Real Time” host Bill Maher Friday over his leadership of the Golden State and the many problems facing the state.<\/p>\n

Maher clashed with the Democrat over<\/a> surging gas prices in his state and other economic complaints critics say define Newsom\u2019s legacy, including his long-troubled high-speed rail project.<\/p>\n

“I say this as a friend. You got to let that train go,” Maher said during Friday\u2019s episode of his HBO show.<\/p>\n

Before addressing the Trump <\/a>administration\u2019s<\/a> “corruption story,” Newsom first pushed back on Maher\u2019s blunt economic advice.<\/p>\n

Newsom Confronted On California Being The ‘Highest Cost Of Living’ State In The Us Amid Affordability Crisis<\/a><\/p>\n

“The other side, what they are going to say though is, but have you seen the stats from California?” Maher asked.<\/p>\n

Read On The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n

“Good! Fourth-largest economy. Let\u2019s go!” Newsom fired back.<\/p>\n

Maher continued to challenge Newsom on fuel costs since California leads the nation with the highest gas prices, averaging $6<\/a> per gallon, with some areas climbing up to $9.<\/p>\n

“Are they going to say good about gas prices? Are they going to say good about how high their rents are?” Maher said. “So many people live \u2026 I mean there\u2019s a whole litany.<\/p>\n

“I mean the train, Gavin. You got to get rid of the train,” Maher said. “I say this as a friend. You got to let that train go. Let the train go. It\u2019s up to $231 billion.”<\/p>\n

“No, it\u2019s not. It\u2019s not,” Newsom replied.<\/p>\n

California High-speed Rail Project Soars To $231B: ‘Worst Public Infrastructure Failure In Us History’<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Billboard<\/p>\n

A billboard promoting high-speed rail is displayed along the 99 Golden State Highway in Bakersfield, Calif., on Jan. 28, 2015.<\/p>\n

(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The project received its first bond funding in 2008 and was originally slated for completion in 2020. Initial estimates also pegged its cost at between $33 billion and $45 billion.<\/p>\n

But the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), the body in charge of the project, recently estimated the first phase won’t be finished until 2032 in its 2026 business plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And costs are now predicted to be in excess of $230 billion.<\/a><\/p>\n

After disputing the eye-popping price tag, the California governor defended the project and shifted blame to previous administrations.<\/p>\n

“We got it back on track,” Newsom said. “It goes back three administrations. I inherited a mess.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re actually making this project work.”<\/p>\n

Maher also questioned Newsom about his imitations of President Trump,<\/a> and the governor used the moment to bash the Trump administration as a “corruption story.”<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s just the sewer that we\u2019re now living in because of Donald Trump,” Newsom told Maher. “He\u2019s allowed all of us to feel free to shove again.”<\/p>\n

David Marcus: Bill Maher’s No Republican, He’s Just A Rare Democrat Who Thinks<\/a><\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump questioned California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s fitness for the White House, citing his dyslexia, which Newsom has spoken openly about.<\/p>\n

Newsom went on to outline what he described as corruption among Trump\u2019s Cabinet<\/a> and associates, asserting that they are part of a massive grift.<\/p>\n

Click Here To Download The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n

“[Trump’s] got eight or nine countries he\u2019s done major golf course or development deals,” he explained. “This peace board is about getting a piece for Witkoff and for Kushner. You see Donald Trump Jr. in the drone companies, in the mineral companies. You\u2019re seeing the kind of corruption.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s the greatest grift we\u2019ve ever seen in our lifetime.”<\/p>\n

Fox News Digital<\/a> reached out to the White House for comment.<\/p>\n

Fox Business’ Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

Original article source: Bill Maher clashes with Newsom over California leaders, says other side will ask, \u2018Have you seen the stats?’<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California Gov. Gavin Newsom was grilled by “Real Time” host Bill Maher Friday over his leadership of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297747,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[96494,7,9,8,457,3020],"class_list":["post-297746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-bill-maher","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-gavin-newsom","tag-president-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}