Don Lemon and Bill Maher Debate How MAGA Feels About Black People: ‘A Huge Faction’ Is ‘Really F*cking Racist’
Bill Maher and Don Lemon argued over the character of the MAGA movement on the latest episode of the former’s Club Random podcast, during which the latter insisted that “a huge faction” of President Donald Trump’s fans are “really fucking racist.”
The conversation began with Lemon recalling being hit on by various men during a visit to the Trump’s hotel in Washington, D.C. on the night of Trump’s first inauguration back in 2017, which caused Maher to muse, ” The idea that they would be hostile — I mean, I know a lot of MAGA people-“”
“One person was hostile,” interrupted Lemon.
They continued:
MAHER: Right, see, let me ask you your opinion on this. Saturday Night Live, 50th anniversary show. They did one thing, they did a sketch where Tom Hanks puts on a MAGA hat, so he’s a Trumper. And then Keenan [Thompson] comes over to shake his hand and he won’t shake his hand. And I said this on Fareed’s show the other day. I found-, that’s so old, you know? I didn’t vote for him. I get all the bad things about that administration. But if you think they don’t shake Black people’s hands, that’s, it’s just, it’s just, you’re wrong. That’s not who they are.
LEMON: Ehhh, some of them do.
MAHER: Matt Gaetz shakes Black people’s hands, you know? Kid Rock will shake your hand. It’s just, it’s just, it’s just too-, it’s just not helpful to like think that half the country, that’s where they are.
LEMON: You’re a comedian, you know, it’s, part of it’s comedy.
MAHER: I understand
LEMON: Let’s be honest, there’s a, there’s a huge faction of the MAGA movement that’s really fucking racist.
MAHER: I wouldn’t say huge, no. I’d say partly-
LEMON: I would say huge.
MAHER: Yeah, okay. Well, we have different perspectives.
LEMON: I would say huge. And even if they’re not, you have to overlook a lot of that in order to support Donald Trump, which I think is maybe even more egregious than just saying I’m a racist.
Maher went on to bring up Trump’s own history with race — including his commentary about the Central Park Five and former President Barack Obama’s birth certificate.
In a statement shared with Mediate, Lemon said: “On The Don Lemon Show today, I’ll be responding to the same right wing extremists, internet trolls and media organizations who endlessly attack me, call me racist and/or homophobic slurs, purposely paint me in a negative light, fein outrage and then gin up fake controversy when someone who looks like me dares to hold up a mirror to them. As I said, ‘The truth is often insulting.’ I’m entitled to my point of view just as much as MAGA, Fox News, right wing media and internet trolls are entitled to theirs. If you want to know what more I have to say about it, watch my show.”
