“Real Time” host Bill Maher derided President Donald Trump on Friday over his memorandum of understanding to end the war with Iran, likening the agreement to the icky and seemingly shadowy ways Trump has handled previous relationships and disputes.
“Where’s the big deal maker?” Maher said Friday during his opening monologue. “What happened to ‘the art of the deal?’ This is his big close? I got news for you. The emperor has no clothes. I tell you, Donald Trump, when he gets tired of a relationship, he’s just out.”
He continued, “I think he just said to the Supreme Leader, ‘You know, I think we should take a break. I just want to bomb other countries.’ Yeah, other countries, they’re looking at this. They’re seeing all that Iran got out of this … They’re all like, ‘Bomb us! Hey, bomb us!’”
Maher was referring to U.S. agreements to help develop a $300 billion rehabilitation program for Iran, including the lifting of sanctions and the unfreezing of assets. It also includes a vow from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and not to “procure or develop nuclear weapons.”
“Remember when [former President Barack] Obama unfroze money?” Maher said. “It was like the worst thing that ever happened in the history of the world. And now, $300 billion, which apparently is going to come from our Gulf allies.”
The comedian and political pundit continued, “Where have I seen this strategy before? Oh yeah, I think I would call it the ‘Stormy Daniels strategy.’ It’s, ’A third party’s going to send you money and then we’re going to pretend this never happened.”
Trump was found guilty in a 2024 hush money trial involving an alleged sexual encounter with Daniels, a former porn star.
The nuclear weapons provision was central to Trump’s stated aims in launching the war in February, as was destroying Iran’s ballistic weapons capabilities, which he has since pivoted from. Trump announced the memorandum on Sunday and signed it on Wednesday in France.
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Israel has since continued bombing Lebanon, jeopardizing the tentative memorandum, which is intended to launch 60 days of negotiations and expects both the U.S. and Iran, as well as their allies, to cease military hostilities “on all fronts” until negotiations are concluded.
Maher previously supported potential regime change in Iran at the start of the war. One week after voicing that support, Maher expressed confusion about why the Strait of Hormuz couldn’t simply be reopened and needed his guests to explain. He has since called on Trump to “cut and run.”
“I just hope we play Iran in the World Cup so we can beat them at something,” said Maher on Friday. “Because this, first of all, it’s not a deal. It’s a memorandum of understanding. It’s about as legally binding as the sign in the break room that says, ‘Please Clean Microwave.’”
Watch a portion of the opening “Real Time” monologue below: