Bill Maher has expressed support for President Donald Trump's military actions in Iran, but acknowledged that while he considers it a "good attempt," the administration "f**ked up a lot." Appearing on the "Hot Mics With Billy Bush" podcast Tuesday, the comedian argued that the Trump administration "missed their window" for achieving regime change, adding that he hopes the president realizes "it didn't work."
Missed Opportunity for Regime Change
"There's still a possibility that the regime will be overthrown. My personal feeling is they missed their window," Maher said. "They should have started the war when the people were in the streets, because that was the time to do it." Maher appeared to reference the thousands of deaths in Iran earlier this year during the country's crackdown on nationwide protests triggered by the collapse of the Iranian currency and decades of repression.
"They waited until the regime killed all those people in the streets, waited a couple of months, and then all of those people who would be there to lead the revolution — they're all gone now," he added.
Potential Israeli Involvement
Maher told host Billy Bush that he doesn't rule out that the "Israelis may have agents in place right now" and could be "planning something big" that could surprise everyone. However, he cautioned against further escalation.
Noting that he thinks the Trump administration "fucked up a lot," he added, "let's not make a bad situation worse. Let's get out of this as cleanly as we can and we'll try again at some point if we have to."
Criticism of Domestic Policies
Earlier in the episode, Maher said that while he supports the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, he "hated" Trump's actions involving the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid his second presidency. Watch Maher's appearance on "Hot Mics With Billy Bush" below; skip to the 15:38 mark to hear his comments about Trump.
