COMEDIAN Bill Maher has slammed Democrats for cutting off Trump-supporting relatives over Christmas as he called on the country to “come together.”
During his Come Together podcast, the comedian criticized the left for their strict ideological standards, which he claimed resulted in them excluding individuals who had supported the Republican candidate in the recent presidential election.
In a discussion with veteran comedian Jay Leno, who is 74 years old, Maher stated that in leftist circles, the ultimate taboo is being associated with a Republican.
Referencing the late Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr., the duo delved into the uproar that ensued when Davis Jr. was captured on camera embracing Republican President Richard Nixon.
“Sammy – when he hugged Nixon, he was ostracized by the left a lot,” Maher said, describing it as a sign of what was to come.
“We live in this time when you’re not allowed to have friends from the other side or cross lines politically,” Leno added.
Talking about the strained relations in many politically divided families this holiday season, Maher slammed those who were refusing to speak to their Trump-voting relatives.
“Just the idea that, you know, ‘cut your family off for Thanksgiving if they voted for the wrong guy,'” he said.
“F**k off, you f**ks.”
This isn’t the first time Maher, 68, has espoused similar opinions.
He previously hit out at Yale University chief psychiatry resident Dr. Amanda Calhoun, who controversially said it was fine to cut off relatives who voted for Trump and to not be with them for the holidays in an interview with MSNBC’s Joy Reid.
Maher was speaking on his HBO show Real Time in the aftermath of Trump’s election victory over Kamala Harris.
“You know who I really wouldn’t want to have Thanksgiving dinner with? This overly educated i.e. extremely stupid, Ivory Tower academic, but I would because if we ever want this nation to heal, this is what we have to do, force ourselves to reach out and find out why someone feels the way they do, and make the choices they make without prejudging them a monster,” he said.
“And they must do the same for you.”
New figures show that almost half of adults are estranged from a close relation.
Of those, around 40% blame the split directly on political differences.
Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks
In the days following his dominant Election Day victory, President-elect Donald Trump has begun carving out his future administation.
Here’s a list of Trump’s confirmed cabinet picks:
- Susie Wiles – White House Chief of Staff
- Dr. Mehmet Oz – Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Stephen Miller – Deputy Chief of Staff
- Bill McGinley – White House counsel
- Tom Homan – “Border Czar”
- Elise Stefanik – Ambassador to the United Nations
- Lee Zeldin – Environmental Protection Agency administrator
- Marco Rubio – Secretary of State
- Kristi Noem – Homeland Security Secretary
- Mike Huckabee – Ambassador to Israel
- John Ratcliffe – CIA director
- Pete Hegseth – Secretary of Defense
- Mike Waltz – National Security Advisor
- Steven Witkoff – Middle East envoy
- Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy – Department of Government Efficiency
- Tim Scott – Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
- Tulsi Gabbard – Director of National Intelligence
- Matt Gaetz – nominated for Attorney General but later refused the position
- Pam Bondi – nominated for Attorney general just hours after Gaetz’s withdrawal
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Jay Clayton – US Attorney for the Southern District of New York
- Doug Burgum – Department of Interior
- Todd Blanche – Deputy Attorney General
- Karoline Leavitt – White House Press Secretary
- Chris Wright – Energy Secretary
- Doug Collins – Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs
- William McGinley – White House Counsel
- Steven Cheung – White House Communications Director
- William Owen Scharf – Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary
- Dean John Sauer – Solicitor General of the US
- Commissioner Brendan Carr – Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
- Linda McMahon: Education Secretary
- Matthew Whitaker – NATO ambassador
- Scott Bessent – Treasury Secretary
- Keith Kellogg – Special envoy to Russia, Ukraine
- Warren Stephens – Ambassador to the UK
Almost half say of those estranged over politics say the break occurred within the past year, with 1 in 7 saying it happened in the run-up to the election.
A third of American adults say their relative’s political believes have left them feeling uncomfortable at a family gathering over the past year.
On top of that, a third worried that political arguments would darken upcoming family gatherings.
But the evidence suggests the divisions aren’t irreconcilable.
Just over half of those estranged because of politics say they want to patch things up, and that an apology from the relative or a change in behavior may increase the chances of that.
However, fewer see reconnection as likely.
