Bill Maher Says Republicans ‘Not Wrong’ In Free Speech Criticism Of Dems During Fiery Elon Musk Debate

Bill Maher joined in with guests Joe Scarborough and Mark Cuban in taking some digs at Elon Musk, but the talk host also made a fiery defense for the X owner against Democrats who want him silent on the presidential election.

On HBO’s Real Time on Friday, Maher noted that Musk has had an unusual, but significant moments recently, highlighting Musk’s SpaceX making history with a successful test of their Starship megarocket, which launched and minutes later its first-stage booster returned to its launch mount using “chopstick”-like arms. Maher also highlighted Musk dancing onstage at a campaign event for former President Donald Trump.

Maher then highlighted a lawsuit launched by Musk against a California agency that refused his request to increase his company’s amount of rocket launches. Musk is claiming the California Coastal Commission is politically biased.

Maher read a statement from commission chair Carol Hart, saying, “We’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race and made it clear what his point of view is,” one of the references in the rejection of Musk that has led to his lawsuit.

Maher offered a direct response to Hart’s taking issue with Musk’s MAGA turn

“Yes! Because he lives in America now and he can do that!” the comic said. “It has nothing to do with this and, you know, the right thing is that the left is in a very different place with free speech than they have been before, and they’re not wrong.”

Maher blasted such responses to Musk as “arrogant.”

“This is arrogant. You don’t punish somebody. It would be like if we stopped Henry Ford from making the cars because we didn’t like [what he said],” he said.

“Yeah, but can you take one anecdotal example, one idiot, right, truly an idiot to —” Cuban began before Maher jumped in to defend Musk from being dismissed as an “idiot.” The pair joked earlier about Musk tweeting that Cuban is the “same person” as MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.

“This is not an idiot. This is someone with power,” Maher said.

“An idiot with power is not that unusual,” Cuban responded.

“But having power matters,” Maher said.

Scarborough jumped in to say the “rule of law” is at stake in this election and that “rule of law” is what “makes” our economy. The MSNBC host agreed, however, that the commission chair is not doing her job and the rejection will likely be overturned in courts.

Maher said it’s “scary” that people are “willing to stifle freedoms” for the sake of “safety” or “misinformation.”

“It’s just the attitude that I find scary, that they are far too willing to stifle freedoms, including speech for the sake of safety or misinformation sometimes, which is coming from everybody,” he said.

Full exchange below:

MAHER: “Commissioner Carol Hart saying, ‘we’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race and made it clear what his point of view is.’ Yes! Because he lives in America and he can do that.

It has nothing to do with this and, you know, the right thing is that the left is in a very different place with free speech than they have been before, and they’re not wrong. This is arrogant. You don’t punish somebody. It would be like if we stopped Henry Ford from making the cars because we didn’t like it.”

CUBAN: “Yeah, but can you take one anecdotal example, one idiot, right, truly an idiot to —”

MAHER: “This is not an idiot. This is someone with power.”

CUBAN: “An idiot with power is not that unusual.”

MAHER: “Okay, but having power matters.”

SCARBOROUGH: “Let’s talk let’s talk about why — we’ve talked about entrepreneurs and what makes America great. You know what makes our economy, what sustains our economy. The rule of law. And that’s what I believe is at stake in this election. We want a fair and equitable approach to the rule of law. The great thing about America is an idiot makes a decision like that based on politics instead of based on what their job is. You can take it to the courts. The courts will overturn it. And I guarantee you they’re going to have that decision overturned and they’re going to have to have find another reason, a better reason, a more relevant reason to to to deny —”

CUBAN: “They’ll learn a harder lesson. He’ll just move more of his production and more of his launches to somewhere else, to Florida or Texas or wherever. I mean, people learn the hard way.”

MAHER: “But it’s just the attitude that I find scary, that they are far too willing to stifle freedoms, including speech for the sake of safety or misinformation sometimes, which is coming from everybody. No one has a monopoly on it. Or just power.”

Watch above via HBO.