New Rule: Told Ya So

Comedian Bill Maher told his audience Friday that Democrats need to acknowledge how effectively President Donald Trump has been drawing support by appealing to voters on specific, everyday issues.

Speaking on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the host said Trump’s ability to win over small but passionate groups of voters by focusing on particular concerns has been a key factor in his political success.

“He is the master at winning votes from small groups who are passionate about one issue, picking up a couple percent here, a couple there until on election night it’s ‘YMCA,’” Maher said.

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Maher pointed to Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate taxes on tips as one example.

“While Democrats offer up high-minded intangibles like equity and saving the soul of America, Trump says, ‘Hey, waitress, how would you like to pay no tax on those tips?’ Remember that? And everybody was like, ‘Why didn’t we think of that?’” Maher said.

Maher credited the proposal as a major reason Trump became the first Republican candidate in two decades to carry Nevada, a state with a large hospitality and service industry workforce.

He went on to list other groups Trump was able to reach by speaking directly to their priorities.

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“He did it with the tips. He got the TikTok vote. He got the people for whom toilets are very important vote. He got the ‘enough of taking our shoes off at the airport’ vote, the crypto bro vote, the tech bro vote, the bro bro vote,” Maher said. “He got rappers and kale eaters.”

Maher also cited Trump’s success in gaining the backing of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and his supporters.

“Oh yeah, Bobby Kennedy will never be president, but his ‘Make America Healthy Again’ people… oh, that’s another I don’t know four percent he picked off, and they’re ride or die,” Maher said.

Maher noted that Silicon Valley was once considered solidly Democratic but shifted toward Trump during the 2024 election cycle.

“Democrats used to own Silicon Valley, those California do-gooder Liberals who wanted to save the planet,” he said.

“Trump came along and said, ‘Regulations, we don’t need no stinking regulations.’ Not only did he win them over, in his second inauguration, they were all sitting up on the stage with him.”

Maher added a lighthearted comparison to illustrate Trump’s campaign approach.

“Trump runs for office like that kid in eighth grade who ran for school president on a pledge of more snow days,” Maher said.

He emphasized that Trump’s strategy reflects an understanding of how elections are often decided by narrow margins and personal issues.

“Elections are won on the margins, by a coalition of little things that hit people personally. Trump gets this, he feels your pain in the ass. Kamala ran on democracy, which is the most important issue, but without the political skill to sell it, it added up to nothing,” Maher said.

Maher concluded by pointing out how Trump’s focus on specific quality-of-life issues resonated with certain voters.

“He never shut up about bad shower pressure, shitty light bulbs, and low-flow toilets. Not exactly ‘ask not what your country can do for you,’ but for some little niche group, it was all that mattered,” Maher said.

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