Bill Maher launched a scathing rebuke of Republicans over their flip-flopping on abortion rights, claiming they resemble ‘the dog that caught the car.’
The comedian, 68, laid into the issue of abortion rights while discussing Arizona’s stringent Supreme Court ruling instating a near-total abortion ban, which led some Republicans – notably Donald Trump – to walk back support amid backlash.
Trump previously called for the overturning of Roe v Wade, which triggered the Arizona ruling, but angered supporters as he came out this week against a national ban.
Maher suggested Republicans are like ‘the dog who caught the car’, as they didn’t know what to do now they achieved their aim.
‘For 50 years, they talked about getting rid of abortion. They did it and it’s super unpopular, and now they have to basically lie,’ Maher said.
Bill Maher, 68, laid into Republicans for walking back their absolutist stance on abortion, suggesting they are like ‘the dog that caught the car’
Abortion is set to be one of the most biggest issues in the 2024 election following the overturning of Roe v Wade, which triggered some states to enact stringent abortion bans that are unpopular among large swaths of voters
Donald Trump came under fire from his own party this week as he flip-flopped on abortion, calling it a ‘states issue’ after previously taking credit for the overturning of Roe v Wade and arguing that women who receive abortions should face ‘punishment’
Trump came under scrutiny from his party this week as he waded into the abortion debate, amid pressure to make his stance clear in the wake of uproar over Arizona’s controversial ban.
He said: ‘My view is now that we have abortion where everyone wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both.
‘And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state.. Many states will be different. Many will have a different number of weeks, or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be.
‘At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people.’
Trump also sparked backlash among his furthest right supporters with a post to Truth Social, where he admitted Arizona ‘went too far’ with its abortion ruling.
The statement marked a departure from Trump’s past rhetoric – including calling for any woman that receives an abortion to be ‘punished’ – as Maher noted it could hurt his base.
‘Can he lie his way out of this?’ Maher questioned, adding that the issue of abortion means Arizona, a swing state, will ‘definitely be in play’ for Democrats in 2024.
‘A lot of people think it’s murder. That’s why I don’t understand the 15-week thing, or Trump’s plan is, ‘Let’s leave it to the states.’ You mean, so killing babies is OK in some states?’ Maher asked.
‘I can respect the absolutist position. I really can. I scold the left when they say, ‘Oh, you know what, they just hate women, people who aren’t pro-choice.’ They don’t hate women. They just made that up.’
He continued by making a point that led to silence from the audience, noting: ‘They think it’s murder, and it kind of is. I’m just OK with that. I am. I mean, there’s 8 billion people in the world. I’m sorry, we won’t miss you. That’s my position on it.’
Trump also sparked backlash among his furthest right supporters with a post to Truth Social, where he admitted Arizona ‘went too far’ with its abortion ruling
One of Maher’s guests, British journalist Piers Morgan (pictured), conceded that Trump made a ‘U turn’ for ‘political reasons’, but said he saw the logic behind it because abortion is essentially a ‘massive banana skin’ for Republicans in elections
Maher’s argument that abortion rights could swing the election in Democrats’ favor comes as a new Wall Street Journal poll found that it is a chief issue among suburban women.
The poll found that 39 percent of suburban women say abortion is a make-or-break issue for them in the election, with three quarters saying it should be legal all or most of the time while a majority found Trump’s positions to be too strict.
One of Maher’s guests, British journalist Piers Morgan, conceded that Trump made a ‘U turn’ for ‘political reasons’, but said he saw the logic behind it because abortion is essentially a ‘massive banana skin’ for Republicans in elections.
‘He did it in 2016 to get the Evangelicals with him. He said, ‘I’m gonna pack the court, I’m gonna get this done and overturn Roe v. Wade.’ So they all came with him, and I think now he thinks he’s got them,’ Morgan told Maher.
‘I don’t support what he’s doing, but I do understand the political reasons he’s doing it, and I think he could be quite effective actually in neutralizing what is becoming a massive banana skin for the party.
‘And I think that’s what he’s recognized and he’s getting ahead of it. I think it could work for him.’
The debate comes amid poor polling for both Biden and Trump ahead of the election, as Americans generally think that while they were in the White House, both did more harm than good on key issues.
But the two candidates have different weak spots.
For Biden, it’s widespread unhappiness on two issues: the economy and immigration. Trump, meanwhile, faces an electorate where substantial numbers believe he harmed the country on a range of issues.
A new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that more than half of U.S. adults think Biden’s presidency has hurt the country on cost of living and immigration, while nearly half think Trump’s presidency hurt the country on voting rights and election security, relations with foreign countries, abortion laws and climate change.