Bill Maher Shreds ‘Nero of American Politics’ Karen Bass for ‘Fiddling’ in Ghana While LA Burned: ‘We Just Got Our A** Kicked By Fire’
Bill Maher opened his first Real Time show of 2025 by tearing into Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) and others over the wildfires that have claimed thousands of homes.
Maher knocked critics defending politicians like Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) amid the fires.
The Real Time host said:
Axios ran a story on how getting the water out of the hydrants in Pacific Palisades was more complicated than it seems. I’m sure it is. I’m sure it’s very complicated. That’s why I pay 13% of my income in this state every year to people who I assumed were working on things like this. When asked why so many of the hydrants in the Palisades ran out of water, Governor Newsom said the local folks are trying to figure that out. Yeah, you got to do that before the fire. At least in the Palisades, the hydrants were still there. 300 other ones around the city are just gone, stolen. For parts, one of the three reservoirs for the Palisades was offline at the one time of year when it was most needed.
Maher tore into Bass over her trip to Ghana while the fires broke out and a lowering of the fire budget months before they broke out in Pacific Palisades.
The comedian dubbed Bass the “Nero of American politics:”
LA’s mayor, Karen Bass, the Nero of American politics, was fiddling in Ghana while the city burned and later placed the blame on eight months of negligible rain and winds that have not been seen in L.A. in at least 14 years. Yeah. That’s not that long a time. Maybe look in the history books to see how our ancestors handled it back in 2011. The mayor said about cuts to the fire department’s budget. There were no reductions that were made that would have impact in this situation. The fire chief here had a slightly different take, she said. We are screaming to be properly funded. And yes, the budget was cut and it did impact our ability to provide service. And by the looks of all the fire engines in the bone yard, out of service because we didn’t fix them, she’s right.
Maher called California the “place that spends money and gets nothing,” citing his own “exorbitant” taxes.
He said:
We have the highest marginal tax rate in America, higher than almost all other states and soon Greenland. What is included for that? Breadsticks? Because it clearly doesn’t cover fire. That’s government’s job. Protect us from crime, violence, theft, fire. I’m not saying Alabama would have done better with fires by fighting them with prayer in school, but look me in the eye and tell me anyone could have done worse. We just got our ass kicked by fire. Something Neanderthals fought to a tie.
Watch above via HBO.
