Bill Maher devoted this week’s “New Rules” segment on HBO’s “Real Time” to the failed assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Not the attempt itself, but the “magical thinking” among MAGA faithful, prompting Maher to observe, “There’s nothing on earth, not even an assassination attempt, that can’t be made just a little worse by adding religion.”
As part of debunking the thought among Trump’s base, Maher bitterly observed that the failed assassination attempt is just one of dozens of examples of Trump’s unlikely good fortune. “He’s the single luckiest motherf–ker who ever lived. His whole life is a string of ‘you’ve got to be f–king kidding.’”
You can watch the whole thing here:
Kicking off the rant, Maher ran down examples of the religious praise about Trump from multiple right-wing figures — pausing at one point to mockingly note that Rep. Steve Scalise, who claimed “the hand of God” protected Trump, “was also shot, but God was having an off day.” Maher was referencing the 2017 mass shooting that Scalise survived.
“Donald Trump, even if you like him, is powerful enough as a past president, a likely future president, and to be perfectly frank, a cult leader. America doesn’t need a demigod,” Maher declared. “From the pharaohs to Julius Caesar to Hirohito, many cultures have tried it: the earthly being who is simultaneously divine, or at least god-ish — and it never turns out well. And look, I’m not anti-religion. Oh, wait, I’m very anti-religion.”
Maher played clips from his movie “Religulous” to remind people of his frequent talking point, then returned to his commentary about how dangerous religous awe of political leaders can be.
“Trump didn’t survive the attempt on his life because of divine intervention. He survived because a virgin couldn’t hit the fattest president since Taft,” Maher quipped. “And again, make no mistake, I’m glad he couldn’t, but Trump is alive because he’s the single luckiest motherf–ker who ever lived. His whole life is a string of ‘you’ve got to be f–king kidding.’”
Maher then noted other examples of Trump’s good luck: Judge Alieen Cannon throwing out Trump’s classified documents case on utterly indefensible grounds; how Trump inherited hundreds of millions from his father, lost it, “and used the write-off to never pay taxes again”; being “somehow stronger than ever at 78, meanwhile, Richard Simmons dead at 76“; and having President Joe Biden as his opponent.
“Look, I fervently hope that nobody ever shoots a Trump or any candidate, but if you have to have someone do it, it’s kind of lucky to have it be the world’s biggest loser. And it all just makes religious-minded people see Trump as something preter-human now, when, in reality, he puts his pants on one leg at a time after sex with a porn star,” Maher went on.
“You want to vote for him, fine, but don’t pray to him. He’s already all-in on being God. Like he said this week, the doctor at the hospital called it a ‘miracle.’ ‘I’m not supposed to be here. I’m supposed to be dead.’ Yeah. So is Dick Cheney, but karma isn’t cooperating, and karma isn’t a thing,” Maher concluded.