Bill Maher Believes AOC Could Be a Fantastic POTUS Candidate — With Some ‘Deprogramming’

Bill Maher believes Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) would make a great presidential candidate – with a bit of “deprogramming.”

The comic and political pundit, during the latest episode of his Club Random podcast on Monday, said AOC is way too far left to appeal to the masses in a general election. He got onto the topic while discussing politics with comedian Patton Oswalt, who said Republicans looked like out-of-touch weirdos when they made fun of a video of her dancing on a roof in college.

“[They] found the damning video of AOC dancing and drinking with her friends on the roof in college, and she looks so happy and beautiful and cool,” Oswalt said. “Oh, they think is ending her career because they never did this. They were never that comfortable to do this.”

Maher was not as enthusiastic.

“Yeah, and if she had some deprogramming, she could be such a fantastic candidate,” he said.

“What do you mean deprogramming?” Oswalt asked.

“Well, she just doesn’t — she’s never going to resonate with people outside of the bubble that she lives in and the very far left,” Maher said.

He then said even The New York Times – which Maher said has been “squabbling” with him on how radical the Democrats have become over the last decade — even agreed with him a recent story; it’s unclear which “huge editorial” he was referring to.

“What? That she’s too far left?” Oswalt asked.

“Yes,” Maher said. “And that the only way Democrats will win again — not that the Republicans are probably going to give it back — is to be more moderate.”

Oswalt disagreed.

“If people think she’s too far left, then that shows another way this country is broken right now,” he said.

Maher disagreed with Oswalt’s point, saying the country is not broken. He said, when it comes to AOC’s politics, “That is not where the country is.”

Oswalt told Maher the U.S. is not as mature as it citizens like to think it is, because the country has “kept freaking out” since Barack Obama’s presidency.

The Real Time host rattled off a list of issues he believed Democrats have “freaked out” over too, which included gender, race, parenthood, schools, homelessness, crime, the border, and education.

His comments on AOC come a few days after he criticized one of her political pals, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, on Friday on HBO. Maher said the next New York City mayor’s socialist policies will not be embraced nationwide, and that they will be featured in “every attack ad for the next two years.”  He then made similar comments during an appearance on CNN on Sunday, while asking why can’t either Democrats or Republicans just be “normal.” 

Watch Maher and Oswalt above.