Breaking
HBO “Real Time” host Bill Maher predicted Sunday on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” that Republicans will suffer “a classic historical a– whooping” in the November midterm elections. Maher argued that voters will use the midterms to punish President Donald Trump and the GOP for what he described as overreach during Trump’s second term.
But Maher, a longtime liberal, also delivered a blunt warning to Democrats. He said the Democratic Socialists of America have become the energy of the party and could push positions he called extreme, including making the label of genocide in Gaza a litmus test for candidates. In Maher’s telling, the DSA is the problem Democrats will face once the midterms are over and the 2028 presidential race begins.
Details & Background
Maher blamed Trump directly for the GOP’s potential losses, saying the president had become drunk with power. He described a recurring pattern in American politics in which a newly elected leader pushes his side’s priorities too far, and he compared it to former President Joe Biden’s handling of the left, saying Biden was too weak to stand up to progressive activists on cultural issues. Maher summed up his view by saying Trump went too far and that his party will pay the price at the ballot box.
The prediction comes as Republicans face tough polling with less than a month until Election Day. A recent Fox News poll projected Democrats winning 215 House seats to 201 for Republicans, with 19 races rated as toss-ups. Under that projection, Democrats would need only three of those toss-ups for a majority, while Republicans would need at least 17. Meanwhile, the socialist wing of the Democratic Party has notched several primary wins this year, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York renewed her DSA membership in August after a seven-year lapse, fueling speculation about a 2028 presidential run or a Senate primary challenge to Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Reactions
The White House rejected Maher’s forecast. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital that Trump has built one of the strongest coalitions in American political history through the MAGA movement and knows how to communicate with those voters. Ingle called the president the Republican Party’s “unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator” and said Trump is committed to keeping Republican majorities in Congress. He also pointed to the administration’s record on taxes, border security, energy, jobs and prescription drug prices as the contrast Republicans will take to voters.
Trump himself has brushed off the polling deficit while stepping up his campaign schedule. At a Saturday rally in Vandalia, Ohio, the president argued that the polls fail to capture his ability to turn out voters and urged supporters to treat the midterms as if his own name were on the ballot. “Just pretend that I’m running,” Trump told the crowd. Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to the DSA for comment and did not immediately receive a response.
Why This Matters to You
The November elections will decide which party controls Congress for the final two years of Trump’s term. A Republican majority would keep the president’s agenda on border enforcement, tax policy and energy production moving through Congress. A Democratic House would bring the power to block legislation, launch investigations and tie up the administration’s priorities. That is why both sides are treating every toss-up district as a must-win.
Maher’s comments also offer a rare look at the tension inside the Democratic Party. Even as he predicts Democratic gains this fall, one of the left’s best-known commentators is warning that the party’s most energized faction holds views he considers out of step with most Americans. Whatever happens in November, the fight over who leads the Democratic Party, and how far left it goes, will shape the choice voters face in 2028. The stakes of these midterms reach well beyond a single election night.
