Bill Maher shocks with humble admission about Trump: ‘I gotta own it’

Comedian Bill Maher opened up on his podcast and admitted that one of his biggest predictions about Donald Trump’s second term turned out to be wrong.

Maher hosted YouTuber Bryan Tyler Cohen on his podcast, “Club Random,” and spent a chunk of the conversation discussing political relations between the left and right wings. Maher stressed how important it is for both sides to “break bread,” saying that leftists’ refusal to even speak to Republicans is the “stupidest thing” they do.

Maher took criticism from his own political allies in April when he spoke about having dinner with President Trump and musician Kid Rock. Maher admitted that he saw things a bit differently after meeting the president but still wanted to hold his feet to the fire on some issues. On Monday’s podcast, he made another admission.

‘I don’t see a country in a depression at all. I see people out there just living their lives.’

While Maher’s guest said he makes it a point not to make predictions that he could be wrong about, Maher said he takes the honorable route of owning his mistakes when he gets something wrong.

“First of all, be honest. Don’t just be partisan,” Maher told Cohen.

“I will always call it as I see it, no matter what it is, and I don’t care who likes it or doesn’t. That’s my bond with the audience. It’s worked for me pretty well.”

Maher recalled a recent prediction he made about Trump’s economic plan that he actually got wrong.

“I remember I, along with probably most people, were saying at the beginning, oh, you know, by the Fourth of July — somebody had a thing out about how the economy was gonna be tanked by then,” Maher recalled. “And I was kinda like, ‘Well, that seems right to me,’ but that didn’t happen. Now, it could happen tomorrow. I’m just saying, that’s reality.”

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Maher continued his theme of working from “reality” rather than partisanship.

“‘I just hate Donald Trump.’ … That’s boring and doesn’t get us anywhere and leads you to dishonesty. Because the truth is, I don’t know what his strategy is. But look, the stock market is at record highs,” the comedian continued.

“I don’t see a country in a depression at all. I see people out there just living their lives, and I would have thought — and I gotta own it — that these tariffs were going to f**king sink this economy by this time, and they didn’t. So, you know, how do we deal with that fact? Because that’s the fact.”

At the time of his prediction, Maher was joined by Democrats like Sen. Adam Schiff (Calif.), who called tariffs a “disaster” for the economy, and Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost (Fla.), who said the economy was “flailing,” with tariffs “driving up the prices of everyday goods.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, said the average family stood to lose thousands of dollars per year due to the tariffs.

However, the Trump administration is projected to bring in hundreds of billions in tariff revenue in 2025.

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According to a report by Politico, tariff revenue stands at $127 billion as of July 25, 131% more than at the same time in 2024.

A Fox News report projected tariff revenue at around $300 billion for the entire year.

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