HBO talk show host Bill Maher has once again expressed his desire to see the United States fall into an economic recession in the coming year, arguing it would reduce the chances of President Donald Trump winning the 2020 presidential election.
“I’m not wishing for a recession, but if the farmers want to keep touching the hot stove,” said commentator Tom Nichols on the issue of Trump’s trade policies, before Maher interjected.
“Well, you should be,” said Bill Maher. “Because that will definitely get him unelected.”
“But Bill, you don’t really want a recession,” argued Anthony Scaramucci, Trump’s former White House communication director.
“I really do,” Maher responded. “We have survived many recessions. We can’t survive another Donald Trump term.”
Maher made similar comments in the Overtime segment of his late-night show last week, saying that a recession would be “worth it,” despite the contention of business columnist Josh Barro, who reminded him that “recessions are really bad” and that many people would lose their jobs.
The 63-year-old comedian first floated the same idea in June last year, after he acknowledged that although the economy was performing well the bottom could “fall out at some point.”
“That’s my question — I feel like the bottom has to fall out at some point, and by the way, I’m hoping for it because I think one way you get rid of Trump is a crashing economy,” Maher said at the time. “So please, bring on the recession. Sorry if that hurts people but it’s either root for a recession, or you lose your democracy.”
According to Pew Trusts, the last time the country was in recession American households “lost on average nearly $5,800 in income due to reduced economic growth during the acute stage of the financial crisis from September 2008 through the end of 2009,” while around 5.5 million jobs were lost.
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