"March came in like a lion and went out with Trump on the lam," says Bill Maher on "Real Time"

On Friday's episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher," Trump's legal woes were once again the news of the night

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published April 1, 2023 12:18PM (EDT)

"Real Time" host Bill Maher discussing the NFL's decision to play "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the Black national anthem. (HBO)
"Real Time" host Bill Maher discussing the NFL's decision to play "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the Black national anthem. (HBO)

On Friday's episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher," Trump's indictment was mentioned before the audience even had a chance to get settled after welcoming Maher to the stage.

"It's an exciting political day," Maher said to enthusiastic cheers. "I know why you're excited today. Boy, March came in like a lion and went out with Trump on the lam."

Pointing out that an indictment of this sort is a first in American history, Maher went further into the latest Trump controversy in his opening monologue.

"This is of course for the payment to Stormy Daniels, to keep her mouth shut. We could get bogged down in the legal details of this but, suffice to say, if you don't know all about the details here, Trump's lawyer went to jail for this."

Here, Maher explains that this is basically like getting the clap and then your doctor dies.

"Trump will surrender next week in court, in New York," Maher went on. "He'll probably go right home. They say he's not a flight risk. Flight risk? He can't get up a ramp."

This joke is a reference to the 2020 incident in which Trump struggled to navigate a "slippery ramp" during an event, resulting in concerns over his health. 

"The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery," Trump wrote in an explanation after the event, which was reported on by The New York Times. "The last thing I was going to do is 'fall' for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!"

Breaking down what next week will likely look like for the former president, Maher said "He'll be arrested. He'll be finger printed. And everybody at MSNBC is asking the same question, 'Is it wrong to jerk-off to a mug shot?'"


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By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Nights and Weekends Editor covering daily news, politics and culture. Her work has also appeared in Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vice and many other outlets that don't start with the letter V. She is the author of one sad book called "Something Is Always Happening Somewhere." Follow her on Bluesky: @WolfieVibes

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