‘Going to Bite You in the A**!’ Stephen A. Smith and Bill Maher Torch Democrats for ‘Playing Right Into Trump’s Hands’ on Voter ID

Stephen A. Smith and Bill Maher blasted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) over his response to a voter ID bill, warning him and other Democrats they are “playing right into” President Donald Trump’s hands.

On Wednesday’s episode of Straight Shooter on SiriusXM, Smith was joined by Maher, and the two were equally unimpressed with Schumer labeling the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act — which would require proof of citizenship to vote — “Jim Crow 2.0.”

“The SAVE Act is nothing more than Jim Crow 2.0. It would disenfranchise millions of Americans. Every single Senate Democrat will vote against any bill that contains it,” Schumer wrote in a Monday post on X. “Speaker [Mike] Johnson should tell SAVE Act Republicans to stand down or else this shutdown will be on them.”

Smith warned Democrats not to engage in Schumer’s type of “hyperbole,” arguing it hearkens back to a time “we’re not living” in now.

“Don’t do that because that’s playing right into Trump’s hands. Was I right in saying that?” he asked Maher.

The Real Time and Club Random host agreed, warning Democrats race-based opposition to the voter ID bill will “bit you in the a**” as polling shows support for such efforts. A Pew Research Center survey released in 2025 found 83% back voter ID requirements.

“Not everything is primarily a racial issue. It has racial overtones as does everything in this country. But yes, you’re right it’s foolish to make it about that,” Maher said. “And it’s also foolish because [former President Joe] Biden used that exact phrase about voting in Georgia. And then they did polling after that next election came up. And even the Black folks said, ‘We had no problem voting.’ So, like you say, don’t engage in the kind of hyperbole that’s just going to bite you in the a**.”

Watch above via Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith.

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