Bill Maher tells JD Vance he could vote Republican in 2028
Bill Maher tells JD Vance he could vote Republican in 2028
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYSun, June 28, 2026 at 3:01 PM UTC
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When it comes to the 2028 presidential election, Bill Maher's vote is "in play" for both the Republican and Democratic candidates, he says.
The comedian sat down with Vice President JD Vance on his HBO show "Real Time" on Friday, June 26. Maher opened the conversation by thanking Vance for coming on the show and bemoaning that Democratic politicians won't do so.
"It's the people I vote for, they're the ones who won't talk to me," he said. "That's odd, isn't it? I can't get [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]. I can't get [Zohran] Mamdani. I couldn't get Kamala Harris."
Later, Maher, who has supported Democrats for president but is often critical of the party, told Vance he could support a Republican in the 2028 election.
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"If this is where [the Democrats are] going, my vote is in play," Maher said. "Actually, it always has been. Every year, I don't make my decision by who has an R or a D. I actually always came to the conclusion that the Democrat was probably better and voted for them."
But Maher told Vance his "deal breaker" for the 2028 Republican presidential candidate, which could be Vance himself: If they can't accept a loss without falsely claiming the election was stolen, as President Donald Trump did in 2020.
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"Under Trump, you guys have two outcomes that an election can be: Either we win, or they cheated. That … has to stop," Maher said, drawing applause. Vance wasn't fully on board with this, telling Maher, "I don't think that we should not concede elections, but I don't think that's what's going on."
Elsewhere in the interview, Maher pressed Vance with tough questions on topics including immigration, with the comedian arguing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been "too rough" during its enforcement operations. Maher told Vance the Trump administration should admit that "you guys went too far" on this, but Vance pushed back, arguing "law enforcement deporting people is never an easy process."
"I appreciate your argument that we've gone too far, but we couldn't do nothing, and I don't think there was an easy way to do this," Vance added.
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The pair did find some common ground during the chat, though, including when they both criticized the news media. At one point, Vance even remarked he was surprised Maher wasn't sounding like a "crazy liberal." Maher said that's "because you don't watch the show" and quipped, "I know someone in your administration who watches the show, because I always hear about it."
Maher's interview with Vance came after he received criticism in 2025 for sitting down with Trump at the White House for a private dinner and subsequently telling viewers that the president was surprisingly personable. Trump later posted on Truth Social that the dinner was a "total waste of time," which Maher alleged was because "I never stopped criticizing him."
But Maher also regularly criticizes Democrats on his show. The comedian said in a 2025 episode of his podcast that the Democratic Party is "very unpopular, and for very good reason," while noting that he voted for Harris. "I didn't vote for Trump. As I always say to my woke friends, we voted for the same person. You're just why she lost."
Maher is set to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in a ceremony on Sunday, June 28.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Maher tells JD Vance he could vote Republican in 2028 election
Source: “AOL Breaking”
