Bill Maher is drawing attention online after back-to-back monologues on his HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher tackled rising antisemitism, progressive politics and Donald Trump’s recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
One viral reaction came from Dave Bowman, a military historian and US Submarine Veterans member, who reposted Maher’s Israel segment on X and wrote: “Bill Maher is not somebody I agree with on most anything… That said, he is 100% correct on this.”
The post gained traction as clips from Maher’s monologue circulated across social media.
Maher’s Israel comments spark debate
During Friday’s “New Rules” segment, Maher argued that criticism of Israel often becomes inconsistent when compared with reactions to other global conflicts.
“China, Russia, Sudan, Iran, Myanmar, Haiti, the Congo, North Korea, all way worse,” Maher said while discussing global human rights issues. He added, “And that’s how you know it’s anti-semitism. It’s the inconsistency.”
The comedian criticized rhetoric from both the political left and right, referencing figures such as Tucker Carlson, political streamer Hasan Piker and conservative commentator Candace Owens while arguing that anti-Jewish rhetoric has become increasingly normalized in public discourse.
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Maher also pointed to recent hate crime statistics and claimed Jewish people in the US and Europe increasingly feel pressure to hide visible signs of their identity.
At one point, he criticized Democrats for what he described as reluctance to directly challenge anti-Israel sentiment within parts of their voter base.
Trump-China summit also targeted in opening monologue
Maher also used his show to mock Trump’s recent China visit, which included meetings with Xi on trade, Taiwan and Middle East tensions.
According to The Hill, Maher joked that the summit appeared light on hard negotiations and heavy on ceremony.
“Our two countries have a lot of issues between them, but it seemed like in this big summit, they were mostly avoided,” Maher told viewers. “No demands, except you have to try these dumplings.”
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The comedian argued that China “knows what Trump likes,” referring to the lavish welcome and public praise exchanged during the visit.
Maher described Xi as someone who “holds the cards now” after Trump softened his position in the US-China trade dispute. He also mocked Trump’s repeated compliments toward the Chinese leader, saying: “To say this was a love fest would be an understatement.”
Trump, however, defended the summit during interviews after returning from Beijing, pointing to major aircraft and agricultural deals with China, including potential Boeing and GE Aerospace agreements.
