Bill Maher says Californians will 'never vote for a Republican' as long as Trump is associated with the party
Bill Maher Says California Voters Will Stay Democratic as Long as Trump Is Involved in the GOP
On Monday, comedian and podcast host Bill Maher took to the “Club Random” show with producer David Foster to deliver a blistering critique of California’s political climate. Maher argued that the state’s electorate would not elect a Republican as long as former President Donald Trump remained a figurehead of the party. He cited the recent Los Angeles mayoral race, California’s education outcomes, and broader policy trends to bolster his claims.
Maher first referenced the Los Angeles mayoral contest in which Republican candidate Spencer Pratt finished third and was eliminated from the runoff. “It just shows that, in this state, I guess everywhere, we’re so bipartisan now, that we will accept failure… over voting for the party of Trump,” Maher said. “As long as he’s there, this state will never vote for a Republican, no matter how bad the Democrat gets. And that is a bad place to be.”
The comedian also expanded on his longstanding criticism of California Democrats’ policies. “Democrats, these are your issues: education, race, the environment,” he told Foster. “You’re losing to the Waffle House, car‑on‑the‑lawn states.” Maher pointed to state‑wide educational performance as evidence that California’s priorities may be misaligned. He highlighted data from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Programs, noting that Black fourth‑grade students in Mississippi were 19 % proficient in reading and 22 % in math, compared with 7 % and 10 % respectively in California. “Did you know that a Black fourth grader in Mississippi is 2.5 times as likely to be proficient in math and reading as one in California?” Maher asked, citing a February 9, 2026 New York Times opinion piece that made the same point.
Maher also weighed in on California’s approach to government‑run grocery stores, comparing the concept to state‑run stores in Cuba and the former Soviet Union. “I don’t think we should have government‑run grocery stores. I remember what they looked like in Cuba and the Soviet Union. It wasn’t great,” he said. “You know, kids, we tried this s‑—”
During the interview, psychotherapist and author Jonathan Alpert echoed some of Maher’s concerns, saying the problem was not unique to California or the Democratic Party. “This isn’t just a California or Democratic problem,” Alpert told Fox News Digital. “Once politics becomes part of your identity, it’s remarkably easy to excuse things from your own side that you’d be furious about if the other side did them. That’s the bigger problem Maher is getting at. If politicians know you’ll vote for them no matter what, why should they be afraid of failing you?”
Maher’s comments come amid ongoing debates over California’s political alignment. While the state has trended strongly Democratic in recent elections, Republicans have argued that their failure to appeal to California voters is not merely a result of partisan fatigue but also a failure to address issues like education and economic competitiveness. In the words of Maher, “Mississippi is kicking our a‑ in education and for way less money.”
The comedian’s remarks have sparked responses from both sides of the aisle, with some defenders of California’s policies calling his comparison to the southern states overly simplistic, while others agree that the state’s political strategy may need a rethink. As California continues to dominate national politics on issues such as climate policy and technology regulation, the debate over its future political direction is likely to intensify in the coming months.