Maher: Newsom Had ‘a Weak Hand’ in DeSantis Debate, ‘California Does Have a Lot of Problems’

On Friday’s broadcast of HBO’s “Real Time,” host Bill Maher stated that he thinks California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) won his debate earlier in the week with 2024 Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) because Newsom was able to fight to “a standstill” despite being in “enemy territory” on Fox and the “weak hand” of having to defend California despite its many problems.

Maher said, “I like our Governor, I’ve been trying to get him to run for president for 15 years. I remember being at a fundraiser…and we said to him, Gavin, run while you still look like a movie star.”

He added, “I thought he was the winner, because, playing what I thought was a weak hand, California does have a lot of problems, I thought he fought him to a standstill, and also, he went into enemy territory and did it. Every question started with, here are some statistics showing that California sucks. What do you say, Gov. Newsom? When you can do that, when you can go into the enemy lair and fight to a standstill, I think you’ve won.”

Maher further stated, “I talk about California’s problems a lot, which is probably why Gov. Newsom has not been on the show in six years. So, I don’t pull my punches on that. I understand that.”

Maher also responded to “Rubin Report” host Dave Rubin stating that Florida is prospering while California is falling apart by stating that the debate could have been framed differently, and if Rachel Maddow moderated, she would have used different statistics.

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