‘Just Doesn’t Work And Has Never Worked’: Bill Maher Slams Democrats’ Shift Towards Socialism

Bill Maher warned Democrats Friday that embracing socialism will hand Republicans their next election victory.

The HBO host targeted New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders during his “Real Time” segment, calling them symptoms of a party veering dangerously left.

“Democrats must recognize that Zohran Mamdani is the future of the party. Unfortunately, it’s the Republican Party.” Maher said. “And if you missed his victory speech in last week’s mayoral election in New York, don’t worry. You’ll see it in every attack ad for the next two years.”

Vermont’s failed single-payer healthcare system proves socialism doesn’t translate from theory to reality, according to Maher. He noted Sanders champions universal healthcare for 340 million Americans, yet Vermont couldn’t sustain it for 626,000 residents.

“Thing is, socialism will f*ck you because socialism to put it simply just doesn’t work and has never worked,” Maher said. He pointed to Venezuela’s economic collapse after embracing Hugo Chavez’s policies, contrasting it with Poland’s prosperity after adopting capitalism following Soviet rule. (RELATED: How America’s Biggest Socialist Group Could Get A Million Mamdanis Elected)

.@TheDemocrats must recognize that Zohran Mamdani is the party’s future, but unfortunately, it’s the Republican Party. pic.twitter.com/XTgr0YNULa

— Bill Maher (@billmaher) November 15, 2025

“Democratic socialism is like a dating profile. Things look great until you meet up in the real world,” Maher said.

Maher noted that thirteen Democrats won in Trump districts during 2024, all moderates. Post-election analyses reached identical conclusions about the party’s path forward, he added

“All the left-leaning think tanks have done autopsies on 2024, and they all came up with the same message. Move to the center,” Maher said.

He distinguished between existing social programs and Democratic Socialists of America members like Mamdani.

“Bernie, AOC, Mamdani are not Democrats. They’ll be the first to tell you that they’re democratic socialists,” Maher said. “And that’s a very different thing. And I don’t think people know that yet.”

Americans want normalcy from both parties, not extremes, Maher argued.

“We’ve had enough of Trump’s macho bullsh*t and also enough of p*ssy politics,” he concluded.