Bill Maher confronts Trump-defending “Real Time” guest over alleged Jan. 6 outrage

Bill Maher confronted conservative “Real Time” guest Rich Lowry on Friday, saying he was “appalled” by the riots by Donald Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, with Maher suggesting that the National Review editor-in-chief would “vote for Trump” anyway.

The exchange came amid a discussion about the Supreme Court’s recent granting of broad immunity to presidents for “official” acts as a result of ongoing criminal proceedings related to Trump’s actions on January 6.

Lowry, who had previously denounced Trump’s conduct during the riots but continued to criticize the case, said Democrats could accept the court’s decision if Trump’s 2024 rival, Kamala Harris, moves into the White House and is then impeached for an official act.

“But Trump is actually committing crimes. Let’s not forget that small part of it,” Maher replied.

“If the positions were reversed and a Democrat had done this, not only would Republicans go after him, they would have done it,” he added, noting that several criminal cases against Trump are still pending.

When Lowry interrupted and reminded the panel that he had “spoken at length about January 6” and was “completely appalled by it,” Maher pointed out: “You are not so appalled that you would not vote for Trump!”

“That’s different, Bill,” Lowry replied, to which Maher repeated, “You’re not horrified!”

Lowry – who had previously argued on the show that prosecutors in one case had tried to keep Trump “in the courtroom from March to October” as part of a “political timeline” – asked Maher if he would “consider” voting for Trump if January 6 never happened.

“Yes, if he admitted defeat in the election, he would not be the bogeyman he is,” Maher replied.

“He just wouldn’t be the villain he is. That’s the main thing: He’s politicizing the Justice Department and he’s not conceding elections. Those are two very new things.

“Now you can whine all you want. And you can say the bullshit, ‘Well, the Democrats say he’s not a legitimate president’ – that’s different than actually trying to stay in office!” Maher said, adding that this “completely disqualifies” Trump.

In May, the former president was found guilty of falsifying business records in connection with the payment of hush money to former porn star Stormy Daniels. He was also charged with misusing classified documents and rigging state and federal elections.

Because of the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, special counsel Jack Smith filed a revised indictment against Trump last week for the Jan. 6 insurrection, charging him with four felony counts. If convicted, Trump could spend decades in federal prison. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.