Comedian Bill Maher and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) clashed over President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The heated exchange took place on Maher’s “Club Random” podcast.
“If you’re talking about the use of force to achieve your political goals, I think it’s somewhat on topic,” Gaetz said during the discussion.
“And it’s not like the left doesn’t do a version,” Maher replied. “I mean, they should not have been b‑‑‑‑ing about, ‘Trump is not a legitimate president.’ That was wrong. It’s very different than actually trying to stay in power. We just had Jan. 6. It went off smoothly without a hitch. ‘Places, everyone, places! OK, the rehearsal went great,’ and now we do it and we go home.”
The exchange was picked up by Mediaite, highlighting the back-and-forth.
Maher suggested a different scenario for Jan. 6 if Trump lost the 2024 election. “This past week, we had a wonderful Jan. 6,” he quipped. Gaetz jumped in, noting the last time Democrats didn’t object to electors during a Republican win.
“It was 1988,” Gaetz said. “The last time they didn’t object to a vote. They objected to George W. Bush winning Ohio.”
Maher pushed back hard. “Objecting is different than calling the Justice Department and pressuring them. It’s different than calling the guy in Georgia and saying, ‘Find me 11,000 votes.’ It’s different than sending fake electors.”
He added, “Don’t give me bulls‑‑‑ and we’ll be friends. Bulls‑‑‑ me? No, we’ll still be friends, but then I’ll think you’re a hack instead of someone who could actually have an honest conversation.”
Gaetz rejected the idea of an “asymmetry” between the two parties. “When you look at the way the Democratic Party used an authoritarian … bum rush to get Joe Biden out of the race and replace him with [Kamala] Harris, what was it?” he argued.
Before moving on, Maher offered a surprising compliment: “You’re a lot brighter than I thought you were.”