Democrat Response to Los Angeles Riots ‘Good for Trump’ [WATCH]

Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa., appeared on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher Friday, where both he and host Bill Maher acknowledged that the recent riots in Los Angeles—and the Democratic response to them—will likely benefit President Donald Trump politically, as reported by Fox News.

The conversation focused on the ongoing fallout from anti-ICE protests that escalated into riots in downtown Los Angeles. Viral footage from the scene has shown demonstrators clashing with police, looting businesses, and vandalizing property.

A widely shared image depicted a protester standing atop a vehicle while waving a Mexican flag as a Waymo car burned in the background.

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Fetterman, who has taken a firm stance against the riots, posted that same photo on X Monday evening with a message condemning the violence.

I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations, and immigration—but this is not that.

This is anarchy and true chaos.

My party loses the moral high ground when we refuse to condemn setting cars on fire, destroying buildings, and assaulting law enforcement. pic.twitter.com/pPYbvP6xR0

— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) June 10, 2025

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During the Friday broadcast, Maher commended Fetterman for speaking out and criticized segments of the left for defending the unrest.

“It doesn’t do the Democratic Party any good to defend this,” Maher said, referencing both the footage and the attempts by some Democrats to contextualize or minimize the violence.

“I agree,” Fetterman replied. “When they see it in a campaign ad, when they see the guy with the Mexican flag and the Waymo burning behind him, it’s going to be good for Trump.”

Fetterman pointed to the likely reaction from average Americans watching the events unfold. “And those optics, I just run that through — like what’s the people in Scranton might see those kinds of images and those kinds of videos?” he asked.

Maher agreed, noting that while both he and Fetterman still consider themselves Democrats, the political landscape has shifted significantly. “We don’t even know what these terms mean,” Maher said, referring to intra-party labels like “progressive.”

Fetterman echoed the sentiment. “That’s the thing,” he said.

“It’s like your values — I don’t think have changed — I know mine haven’t really changed. But I think our party has changed and now if you actually kind of point out and call out a lot of these things, you know, you do take a political price for a lot of those things.”

The Pennsylvania senator’s comments come amid growing divisions within the Democratic Party over how to respond to crime, immigration, and civil unrest in major cities.

Fetterman has previously broken with his party on border enforcement, expressing support for stronger immigration controls.

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