Bill Maher has predicted the exact date he thinks Joe Biden will step down from the presidential race while giving an optimistic view on who could replace him.
The 68-year-old comedian mentioned Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris and Gretchen Whitmer as possible replacements, while insisting that “Biden is finished.”
He joked that “when” the 81-year-old retires, he will choose August 9 as the date, the same day Richard Nixon became the only president to resign in 1974.
Maher criticized Biden for holding back Democrats ahead of the election, while listing a number of surrogates he believes could win in November, primarily because “they’re moderate, under 100, and have a D next to their name.”
Bill Maher argued that “Biden is done for” by predicting the exact date he thinks the 81-year-old will step down from the presidential race.
Biden has consistently said he intends to stay in the race, though Maher said “the question is not whether he will be replaced, but who.”
The talk show host was joined by former Congressman Bakari Sellers and conservative commentator Ben Shapiro as he joked that Biden will be doomed by a “mean girls” mentality of the American media.
“When they smell blood in the water, the desire to take down a vulnerable person will never be denied,” Maher said.
Maher speculated that Biden would step aside on Aug. 9, the same day Richard Nixon resigned in 1974.
He argued that for Biden, the question “is not whether he will be replaced, but who,” and satirically predicted that the president would want to resign the same day as Nixon.
“Yes, replacing a president as the candidate of his party at this stage will seem like a big deal, for about three days,” he continued. “But then we’ll all forget about it.”
The comedian jokingly compared the move to when an office colleague “gets a boob job,” saying that while “at first I’m like, ‘Oh my God,’ a week later, it’s just her boobs.”
“America is going to do this, we’re going to have new boobs,” she concluded.
Maher then listed several potential replacements for Biden if he were to step aside, offering an optimistic outlook for several of them who he believes could defeat Donald Trump in November.
Maher pointed to Vice President Kamala Harris as Biden’s natural successor, but admitted that “for some reason, she’s never been popular.”
Maher began his list of pros and cons with Harris, who he noted would mark a number of milestones if she were to reach the White House, including being the first woman, the first Black woman and the first Asian woman to become president.
“(She) will receive all of Biden’s campaign money, and on the abortion issue she is a walking reminder to women that Republicans are coming for the abortion pill,” he said.
“She won’t just protect Plan B, she is Plan B.”
He also cited her history as a prosecutor in California, noting that “Kamala was putting criminals in jail before liberals decided that was a bad thing.”
However, Maher noted that “for some reason, Harris has never been popular,” citing her poor performance in the 2020 presidential primaries as evidence.
‘You can count the number of delegates he won… on one hand, as long as that hand doesn’t have fingers.’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has frequently been mentioned as a possible contender, and Maher said his biggest drawback is simply that he’s “too shrewd.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s name has often been mentioned as a possible White House candidate, with Maher calling her a “very attractive option.”
Maher then moved on to two other contenders who could overtake Harris at the top of the ticket, namely California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
In Newsom’s case, Maher highlighted his apparent good looks when she said he was “the only governor, with the possible exception of Kristi Noem, who looks like he could make porn.”
“And at 1.90m and 97kg, he is actually the height and weight that Trump claims to be.”
Maher said Newsom’s biggest drawback appears to be that he is “too shrewd,” but he felt this is not such a negative trait, because “being shrewd is something no one has accused Biden of lately.”
The comedian also put a positive spin on Whitmer’s hypothetical candidacy, saying she is a “very attractive option.”
She noted that she is a popular governor in must-win Michigan and has a number of policy accomplishments to draw on, including raising wages, protecting abortion rights and legalizing marijuana.
If not those three leading contenders, Maher argued that the Democratic Party is quietly filled with a number of viable candidates — if only Biden would step aside.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has already shown his presidential ambitions
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was among the names Maher floated as a quietly viable contender for the White House.
Among the candidates lurking in the Democratic Party ranks who Maher believes could step forward are Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro.
“Nobody knows who these people are and that’s a good thing,” he continued.
We need new characters in this comedy we call a country. Americans like novelty. These guys, all you need to know is that they are moderate, under 100 years old, and have a “D” next to their names.
Maher concluded that with the looming possibility of a second Trump term in November, America is currently “at the airport and we just need to make sure we get that last rental car.”
“Something reasonably safe, relatively clean and not Trump. If there’s not a dead Girl Scout in the trunk, we’re good to go,” he concluded.