Iranian-American Comic Tells Bill Maher Nobody Was ‘Worried’ About Trump’s Threat to Wipe Out Civilization

Not all Iranians were sweating President Donald Trump’s threat to annihilate the country’s “whole civilization.” 

Iranian-American comic Max Amini told Bill Maher he didn’t think Trump was serious when he made his infamous threat in April to wipe out Iran if the country’s theocratic leaders did not immediately cut a deal to stop the war, at least for the time being. Amini said he wasn’t the only one who felt that way, either.

“I think Trump made it very clear the war is not on the people of Iran, the war is with the government of Iran,” Amini said on the Monday episode of Maher’s Club Random podcast. “So when he said we’re going to wipe [out a] civilization, I don’t think anybody was worried. I think we knew that he was just using Trump language to scare people.”

Maher chuckled and said he was a bit more worked up by Trump’s threat than his guest.

“I think some people were worried. I was worried!” he said.

Maher continued a moment later, “You’re right, in the end it’s [a] 90% chance that he’s just spouting off. But for a president to say things like that is crazy.”

The two comedians talked about Trump and the Iran war a good bit on the show. Beyond his April threat to erase all of Iran, Trump made a similar threat in June when he said the USA was being “forced to finish off” Iran because the country kept violating the ceasefire.

Maher told Amini he is now worried the president has become the kid who cries wolf when it comes to making his threats to wipe out Iran.

“I feel like they have the whip hand now, because like, how many times can you say, we’re going to wipe you out?” Maher asked.

Amini was keen to share his take on the war as well and offer his unique perspective; the comic was born in Arizona to Iranian parents who fled during the 1979 revolution, and later moved to Iran from about the age of eight to 17 before returning to live in the States.

He told Maher he felt the U.S. should “finish” the war after starting it.

“That means ground troops?”Maher asked.

“That means change the regime,” Amini said.

Maher told him the war so far has shown that can’t happen strictly from air attacks. Amini said changing the regime is vital, though, because the country is run by a morally bankrupt “species” who have no problem murdering their own family and country members.

Watch above.

Jason Cohen contributed to this report.

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