Whether its Donald Trump or Joker, Bill Maher doesn’t need to see the sequel.
On Friday’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the comedian discussed the looming threat of an “October surprise” ahead of the 2024 presidential election, arguing that it won’t “save us from a second Trump term.”
“He’s banged a pornstar and attempted a coup, he steals from charities. If you’re waiting for an October surprise to knock him out, dream on. There are better odds of another Joker musical,” said Maher, following the box office flop that was Joker: Folie à Deux.
“Trump said last week that really doing the Purge, like in the movie, might be a good crime-fighting technique,” he added. “He’s the only candidate where the voters hope he doesn’t keep his campaign promises.”
Maher’s jokes came during his ‘New Rule’ segment, in which he addressed Democrats, “We’ve gotten so used to thinking there’s always an October surprise coming, that when it doesn’t happen, it actually seems weird… like a party at Diddy’s house where you just dance.
Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck and Lady Gaga as Lee Quinzel in Joker: Folie à Deux.
Warner Bros. Pictures
“The Access Hollywood tape in 2016 was a classic October surprise, and many people thought it was one that would work, as grabbing p—y is generally frowned upon,” Maher continued. “Including by James Comey, who was so disgusted by it, he reopened an investigation into Hillary a few weeks later.”
Arguing that Trump could commit the most heinous of crimes “and it wouldn’t move the needle at all,” Maher said, “Trump’s superpower as a candidate is that he’s been so constantly and ubiquitously awful for so long, that it’s simply no longer seen, the way that you wouldn’t notice a new face tattoo on Post Malone.”
After her ABC News debate with Trump last month, Harris has accepted a CNN invite for an Oct. 23 town hall following the deadline for both candidates to agree to a presidential debate on the network. The town hall will be broadcast live from the critical swing state of Pennsylvania.
Although Trump previously declared “THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE” for him, CNN has also proposed an individual town hall for him. He has since agreed to a pre-taped Fox News town hall focused on issues affecting women, which aired Wednesday.