Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher chastised those who wish that President Trump had died during the third assassination attempt against him at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner shooting last week.
Maher revealed his thoughts about the WHCA Dinner shooting during a segment on his HBO show Real Time this past Friday.
“Let’s get the ugly news about the political violence out of the way first,” Maher said.
“If you’re one of these people – and there’s many in this country – who watched that and was disappointed the president wasn’t killed… you’re not a good person. Or a smart person,” he added.
While Maher certainly did not hold back on his criticism of the president, he emphatically pushed back against those who would call him “Hitler.”
“Certainly, Trump has often not been good, decent or kind,” Maher said. “But he’s not Hitler!”
Maher said that calling the president “Hitler” just encourages violence.
“This is why I was against this ‘He’s Hitler’ bulls—,” Maher said. “If you really believe that he is a Hitler McPedophile, then you kind of have to kill him. That’s the mentality they have.”
“I don’t think you’re a good person, I wouldn’t want to be the person who thinks that way. Also, it’s just not smart,” Maher later added. “You think that’s gonna solve the problem?… MAGA’s not gonna die! We tried impeaching, that didn’t work. We tried going to the courts, that didn’t work. The only way this actually works: it’s happening. His popularity is at the lowest level it is, even among his core supporters.”
Las week, a man — now identified as 31-year-old Cole Allen — allegedly intended to target the president and several of his cabinet members during the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. A resident of the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance, Allen allegedly traveled across the country by train and came to the Washington Hilton armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives.
“Administration officials (not including Mr. [Kash] Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest,” he allegedly wrote in his manifesto before later adding, “I experience rage thinking about everything this administration has done.”
Authorities reportedly apprehended Allen as he tried to storm a security checkpoint on the floor above where the event was being held, firing two shots before the U.S. Secret Service incapacitated him. Only one Secret Service agent sustained gunfire but was saved by his bulletproof vest. No further injuries were sustained.
During a press conference following the incident, President Trump, who had previously survived two assassination attempts, encouraged Americans to peacefully resolve their differences.
“I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts in resolving our difference peacefully. We have to we have to resolve our differences. I will say, you had Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Conservatives, Liberals, and Progressives. Those words are interchangeable perhaps, but maybe they’re not,” Trump said. “But yet everybody in that room, big crowd, record-setting crowd, there was a record-setting group of people. And there was a tremendous amount of love and coming together. I watched, I watched and I was very, very impressed by that.”