Comedian Bill Maher called on fellow Democrats to show some grace to those who voted for former President Donald Trump — especially those who returned to the Democrat fold after doing so.
Maher made the argument on Friday’s broadcast of “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO, comparing Trump voters to people who had just gotten out of a relationship with a “psycho” and did not need to be reminded of that fact.
WATCH:
Bill Maher Says Dems Should Be 'Gracious' to Trump Voters: Don't Say 'Nice Work, You Stupid, Racist Sh*t-kicker!' https://t.co/dSJO4XExMf via @mediaite pic.twitter.com/vwIPr7kBPO
— Tommy moderna-vaX-Topher (@tommyxtopher) February 26, 2022
“So sure, the temptation will be to humiliate Republican voters who are now finally coming to their senses about Trump to shame them, call them deplorable and say, ‘What were you thinking you stupid f***?'” Maher began, arguing that name-calling and insults would make them more likely to go right back to voting for Trump or someone similar in the future.
“Don’t do that. Don’t. I know it’s, I made it sound good, but don’t it. Don’t do that, that will drive them right back into Trump’s arms,” he said.
Maher went on to compare Trump voters to people who had gotten involved in a dating relationship with a “psycho,” noting that the last thing people wanted to dwell on once they had gotten out of that relationship was to talk about how they had gotten involved in it in the first place.
“Then they come to their senses, the last thing they want to talk about is how they dated a psycho. It took Trump voters a long time to make it all the way down the MAGA rabbit hole. To jump on them the second they poke their head out would ensure many more years of political winter,” he explained.
“Instead of saying ‘Nice work, you stupid, racist sh**-kicker,’ maybe try: ‘Hey, how you been? Welcome back to the wonderful world of reality,'” Maher suggested.
“‘You got taken by a salesman. Happens to all of us,'” he continued, adding that perhaps in many cases the best course of action would be to avoid talking about politics entirely.
“‘How about that Yellowstone show, huh?'” he said.
Maher has previously discussed the reason that he personally can’t write off all Trump voters, arguing that they amount to half the country. “This idea that we have to constantly be arguing politics with everybody — that’s what has to stop. Because when you take the politics out of the discussion — and this is coming from a person who made his living talking politics — you find that people are just people, and you can’t hate them. I constantly say it, you can hate Trump. You can’t hate all the people who like him — it’s half the country. And you can’t set yourself up as some sort of superior moral paragon, because this is your political belief, and somebody else has another one.”