Bill Maher Says Republicans "Lost Bigly" in the Midterms
Bill Maher Says Republicans "Lost Bigly" in the Midterms
Bill Maher told viewers of HBO's Real Time that Republicans "lost bigly" in the 2026 midterm elections. Variety reported the segment on 7 November 2026.
Maher said that President Donald Trump had responded to the result with a short message: "Congratulations to the Democrats, they did a good job." Maher then spoke to the president directly. "Donnie, are you OK? I know we've been feuding. You sound unwell. You're not even going to fake it was rigged?"
He also said he had predicted a "historical thumping" for Republicans. He recalled a 2016 statement by Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina, who said that if the party nominated Trump, "we will get destroyed... and we will deserve it." Variety described the Democratic win in its coverage as a "blue tsunami."
The exchange is the latest in a running feud. In late October, Trump posted a long attack on Maher on his Truth Social account. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Trump called Maher a "Total Loser" after jokes Maher had made on a Friday episode of the show. The same outlet later reported that the post ran to 1,318 words, and a local station described it as the longest Truth Social rant Trump had posted.
Maher has also talked about stepping away from the show. In December 2024, he told The Hollywood Reporter he "may quit" Real Time, because he did not want to talk about Trump for another four years. The show is still on air, and this month's episode went ahead with a Trump-focused segment.
Real Time with Bill Maher airs weekly on HBO. HBO describes it as a talk and comedy series built around debate and social discussion. Each episode usually opens with a monologue from Maher, then moves to one-on-one interviews, a panel discussion with guests, and a recurring segment called "New Rules." HBO lists Bill Maher, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen and Billy Martin as executive producers.
Maher's comments on the midterms came from the show's regular format, not a special broadcast. Whether the feud continues will show up in the next few episodes, and in any further posts from Trump.
