“You’re in California, you’re on Real Time — you must be running for president.” So Bill Maher said shortly after Maryland governor (and veteran, and acclaimed author) Wes Moore joined him on stage. The two men had plenty of things to discuss, but the state of the country’s economy was a running theme throughout their conversation, and through the episode as a whole.
In Moore’s case, the state of his own state occupied a significant place in his mind. He noted that 31,000 federal workers living in Maryland had been fired by the current administration. He also dismissed talk that he might be running for president in 2028; “Our battle is now,” he said.
Of course, Maher has had several guests on the show this year who have demurred when asked if they plan to seek the nation’s highest office. Moore had a few interesting spins on his policy discussion, however, including pointing out that, for a lot of voters, bad policies don’t tend to be identified with one political party or another.
“I come from a family, frankly, who’s used to suffering the consequences of policies, and not used to making them,” he said. As for what he has done in office to try to address his constituents’ economic concerns, he brought up two things: building affordable housing and resisting price gouging.
When Maher made a distinction between democratic socialists and “classic Democrats,” Moore opted not to take a side. He mentioned that he hadn’t been the favored choice of the party establishment when first running for office. He seemed to prefer avoiding either/or situations, emphasizing a version of politics that could be supportive of both trade programs and college.
In his mind, his part has “a results problem,” not one w/messaging. He drew on his military background and the concept of “Leave no one behind” when explaining his overall ethos. (“You’re good at this,” Maher said.)
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The latest episode of “Real Time” got technologicalNewsNation host Chris Cuomo and Sarah Isgur, author of Last Branch Standing, joined Maher to discuss the state of the world — including Virginia’s recent redistricting. Cuomo was critical of the administration’s penchant for lawfare, while Isgur had perhaps the best line of the night, describing her home in Virginia as being “right on the hick-to-Democrat line.”
During the panel, Maher again made the case for people on the left to be willing to cross ideological lines and talk with Donald Trump. It’s notable, though, that he also took time during his interview with Moore to criticize New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani for his city-owned grocery store plan — given that Mamdani does, in fact, seem to be doing exactly what Maher is recommending in terms of maintaining a civil and professional relationship with the president.
Maher returned to the economy for the final segment of the night, discussing the alarming combination of governmental inefficiency and income inequality. “Somehow the ultra-rich keep getting ultra-richer, while a growing percentage is feeling truly desperate,” he said.
He didn’t lack examples to point this out, and invoked the rising costs of bringing one’s family to Disneyland. (Which has been written about in detail by The New York Times, among other places.) He then zeroed in on healthcare as where this really comes into focus. His solution? Tap into the competitiveness between tech CEOs to get them to put more money towards directly solving various national issues.. “Make the rich fucks competitive about solving it,” he said.
Other notable moments from this week’s episode:
- Maher on global economic indicators: “Condoms! Yes, they’re getting trapped in the Strait of Hormuz.”
- Maher directed multiple digs at Michael in both the opening monologue and New Rules.
- Another Democratic 2028 hopeful will be on the Real Time stage soon: Gavin Newsom, who Maher said would likely appear next week.
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