In a recent episode of the Club Random Podcast, host Patrick Bet David grilled comedian and political commentator Bill Maher over his support for California Governor Gavin Newsom as a potential presidential candidate.
The conversation took an unexpected turn and ended with Maher visibly irritated and unable to mention a positive achievement from Newsom’s tenure as governor in crime-ridden California.
Maher began by expressing a personal affinity for Newsom, having known him for years and featuring him on his show. He acknowledged some of his issues with state policies but strongly suggested Newsom’s viability as a presidential candidate.
Maher’s main argument for backing Newsom was his belief that Newsom “could f-king do it,” referring to winning the presidency, and his perception that Newsom is a “smart, real guy with a pair of balls.”
“First of all, I love him. You either like a guy or you don’t, right? I’ve known him for a long time. He’s been on my show for a long time. Do I love everything he does as the governor of California? No, I don’t. I wouldn’t say I’m undertaxed. Yeah, it’s this: I have issues with this state. One reason I want him to run for president is because he’s obviously a winner. This guy could f-king do it. It’s insane that we have the guy, but we can’t run him because we tiptoe around Biden,” Bill Maher said.
“Then find a winner,” PBD responded.
“Well, he would win the election,” Maher said. “He’s a smart guy. He’s a smart, real guy with a pair of balls. Do I love everything? No, you never do with a politician. But first of all, I think if he ran for president, it would be great because it would force him to move to the center. Now you’re running not just in California.”
However, when Bet David probed for tangible results and successes from Newsom’s time as governor that could translate to a successful presidency, Maher struggled to provide a clear response, sarcastically crediting Newsom with making it rain in a drought-stricken state and admitting he “didn’t follow the news.”
PBD: “Are you a results-driven guy?”
Bill Maher: “No. I like to watch things fall apart.”
PBD: “You wouldn’t build a show that you build and win at the levels you won for decades if you weren’t results-driven, right? I mean, you’re Bill Maher.”
Maher: “What do you mean? What’s the point about results?”
PBD: “What areas has Newsom won? You said he’s a winner.”
Maher: “Winner of the election. He could win the election.”
PBD: “But based on what? Do you want results like what he has done to California to say he’s a winner?”
Maher: “Oh, God. I don’t know.”
PBD: “Bill, you’re smart.”
Maher: “You know what? He made it rain. Okay, dude, but it wasn’t raining, and now it’s raining. So, he’s got my vote, okay?”
Maher’s frustration became evident as he resorted to telling Bet David to “shut up” and calling him “stupid.” Maher defended his arguments saying that he does not watch news.
Bill Maher: “I don’t know. I don’t follow the news. That’s a character I play.”
PBD: “You’re a very smart guy… What this does to me. This actually makes it easier for me to not even have to have this discussion. I just move on to other things we can talk about is you base your character on your candidate. You base your candidate based on being a good debater, deflecting not necessarily results.”
Maher: “No, I don’t. Shut up… You are stupid. You’re better than this… It’s a silly argument. I’ve been doing political commentary on television for 30 years. I think I can tell when a guy is just debating or whether to make a calculated guess on how he’s going to be actually as president. There are two different things: running and being the guy. Do I like it that Newsom is good at the running part? I do. Because that means he can get elected. Do I also think that if he got elected, he would be a good president? I do. Generally moving the country in the right direction. I would like to take them back a little toward the middle.”