David Mamet Throws Down With Bill Maher on Whether Trump ‘Inspired People to Riot’ on Jan. 6: ‘You’re Full of Sh*t!’
Bill Maher threw down with playwright David Mamet about whether President Donald Trump “inspired people to riot” on Jan. 6 by not conceding the 2020 election.
In an interview on Maher’s Club Random podcast Sunday, Mamet confronted the host on why he’s still “stuck” on discussing the 2020 election.
“Because it’s not been resolved,” Maher replied. He added, “The asymmetry of American elections.”
Maher explained that Democrats, after an election, reconcile the defeat by saying, “You win some, you lose some — and they go home.”
“Hillary Clinton went home,” Maher said. “Kamala Harris went home. You can’t imagine Trump ever going home.”
Mamet pushed back — arguing that Maher was presenting a hypothetical. But Maher pointed to the real events following the 2020 election to bolster his case.
“I don’t have to imagine what he did in 2020 — which was never concede the election,” Maher said.
Mamet believes Trump didn’t need to throw in the towel.
“Dude, he didn’t have to concede the election he lost,” Mamet said. “If somebody is beaten in a prize fight, and the other guy gets the belt, the person who’s beaten does not have to concede. It’s not necessary.”
Maher took umbrage with that comparison.
“The analogy falls down because, if a price fighter loses, it doesn’t inspire people to riot,” Maher said.
“How did he inspire people to riot?” Mamet asked.
“By not conceding the election!” Maher replied.
“Oh, come on!” Mamet said.
From there, the two got into a dispute about the cause of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
“It was about people who did not hear their leaders say — as every other leader in this country has said after an election — ‘OK, I lost. We welcome the new guy. We had disagreements, but now we’re all Americans,” Maher said.
“So what?” Mamet replied.
“So what?!” Maher shot back. “It inspires half the country to not accept the basic democratic principle that we have elections, and when you lose, you go away and then you become the loyal opposition.”
“You’re full of shit!” Mamet said. “I don’t understand when you say that he did not say the words ‘I concede’ caused half the country — which you just said — to riot.”
Maher clarified that he didn’t say half the country rioted, but a significant percentage may no longer accept election results they don’t like.
“At least a third of the country will now, in the future, never accept any electoral results,” Maher said. “And a democracy can’t continue in that way.”
Watch above.
