Just hours after she declared Donald Trump to be the “biggest wimp” in U.S. presidential history for agreeing to temporarily end the government shutdown without any assurance of funding for his border wall, Ann Coulter appeared on “Real Time” to talk about it with Bill Maher. But as it turned out, Coulter mostly defended POTUS from criticism — except about the wall.
The conversation between Maher and “my good frenemy” Coulter was like a political shouting match between family members over Thanksgiving dinner. Things would get heated, they largely talked over one another, and they never actually saw eye-to-eye on anything. There were also a few jokes here and there — including a moment where Maher pretended to apologize for comparing Coulter to slime, and promised to “make it up to you in bed tonight.” Coulter largely had Trump’s back on almost everything from the Mueller investigation to his tendency to fib.
Maher began by bringing up what Coulter said about Trump, and sarcastically asked her, “Now you’re finding out he was a lying con man? What was your first clue?”
Coulter said that Trump’s lies, which she repeatedly referred to as “puffery,” were a refreshing contrast to other “respectable” politicians who, she said, have also lied about important matters. Coulter said she assumed Trump’s many outlandish statements indicate that he wouldn’t care what “elites” think, and would actually keep his promises.
Coulter also argued that support for Trump’s proposed border wall isn’t racist, but a pro-labor position aligned with Bernie Sanders. “You’re being played,” she told Maher’s audience. “To have everybody keep acting like this is some sort of racist thing. Working-class wages have gone down, middle-class wages have been stagnant, it’s great for the rich… Bad for people who work.”
Maher and Coulter argued over a number of other issues too: Whether or not Robert Mueller has proof that Trump is a traitor; whether or not a wall would actually keep immigrants from reaching the United States; Israel; Trump’s support for a new regime in Venezuela; and Russia’s opposition to regime change in Venezuela. They didn’t find much common ground.
Throughout, the topic of Trump’s many falsehoods came up again and again, until Coulter straight-up said she doesn’t mind them, because they’re fun. “He said he had the best words, that he was the most Christian person, more presidential than Lincoln, I could go on and on. It makes me laugh. That’s fine, I like that about him,” she said. “Just keep your promise and I’m right back in his camp.”
So for those of you readying a “welcome to the resistance, Ann Coulter” tweet, you can move that into the trash bin.
Maher ended the segment by asking Coulter if she’d ever consider running for president, to which she responded with a quip that semi-parodied her right-wing views:
“I’m against women working, so I can’t,” she said.