“Real Time” host Invoice Maher on Friday cracked a number of jokes concerning the nationwide “No Kings” protests deliberate for Saturday, however he finally argued that the demonstrations are legitimate, as President Donald Trump has been performing like “an authoritarian Taylor Swift.”
The pop star has usually used her music to take jabs at individuals she feels have wronged her. Trump seems to have weaponized the Division of Justice to do the identical, as a number of lawmakers he considers his political enemies have been criminally indicted in latest weeks.
“This is all the people who are upset about the obviously anti-democratic things he’s doing here,” mentioned Maher concerning the protests. “They’re getting out in the streets, they’re saying, ‘We are not going to take this lying down! Milling around? Yes, we’ll do it milling around.’”
Thousands and thousands of Individuals are anticipated to exhibit Saturday at greater than 2,500 protests in opposition to potential authoritarianism underneath Trump. And whereas Maher recommended this received’t accomplish a lot, he went on to defend the motion in opposition to right-wing criticism.
“The Republicans are saying this is not ‘No Kings Day,’ they said this is ‘Hate America Day,’” he mentioned Friday. “Yeah, liberals hate America? That’s what they think? ‘Yeah if you won’t stop assembling freely and speaking freely, we’re gonna send our masked, unaccountable secret police to arrest you, as America should be!’”
Prime Republicans have painted the constitutionally protected protests as anti-American.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) mentioned at a press convention final week, “They’re having this ‘Hate America’ rally in Washington.” Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) even recommended, with completely no proof, that the “No Kings” organizers are a part of “the terrorist wing” of the Democratic Celebration.
“This ‘Hate America’ rally that they have coming up for Oct. 18, the antifa crowd and the pro-Hamas crowd and the Marxists, they’re all going to gather on the Mall,” mentioned Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
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“I mean, Trump does not like this, being called a king,” Maher mentioned Friday.
“He said, ‘I am not a king, and the next person who calls me one, they’re going to find their ass in the dungeon, let me tell you!’ He denied it. He said, ‘I am not a king, I have no intention of becoming a king, but if some country wants to donate a gold crown, I’m not gonna say no.’”
Maher additionally appeared troubled by the latest indictments of ex-FBI Director James Comey, New York Lawyer Normal Letitia James and former nationwide safety adviser John Bolton — who turned a vocal critic of Trump’s after leaving his first administration.
Bolton was indicted Thursday on expenses of violating the Espionage Act.
“Comey’s indicted, Letitia James … now John Bolton, his former national security adviser,” Maher mentioned Friday. “Wrote a book about him — not a good idea. He’s indicted. Trump is going after everyone that ever pissed him off. He’s like an authoritarian Taylor Swift.”
