‘I Hope I Scared The Sh*t Out Of You:’ Bill Maher Warns Of ‘Slow-Moving Coup’ That Could Put Trump Back In Power

HBO show host and comedian Bill Maher warned that former President Donald Trump could re-enter office – with the help of a “slow-moving coup” – on a Friday evening segment of “Real Time with Bill Maher.”

Maher said that Republican leaders were being forced to rely on the former president to remain in office after the 2022 midterm election due to Trump’s “purging” of any Republican that stood in opposition to him.

“I’ve been saying ever since he lost, he’s like a shark that’s not gone, just gone out to sea,” Maher said. “But actually he’s been quietly eating people this whole time. And by eating people, I mean he’s been methodically purging the Republican Party of anyone who voted for his impeachment or doesn’t agree that he’s the rightful leader of the seven kingdoms.”

“President Biden is under extraordinary pressure to do something to stop the coup before his authority over the military and the Justice Department evaporates at noon of January 20th. What happens when two presidential candidates show up on inauguration day, both expecting to be sworn in like a bad sitcom pilot? I hope I scared the shit out of you,” Maher continued.

The show host said the ten House GOP leaders that voted in favor of Trump’s impeachment will be stripped of their political positions and be replaced by those that continue to support the former president’s agenda. He said “arch conservative” Republican Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, who voted for the impeachment in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, no longer stand a chance at winning reelection.

House GOP lawmakers ousted Cheney from her position as the House Republican Conference Chair in May after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pushed for a vote to remove the Wyoming Republican from her position as the third-ranking House Republican. (RELATED: Trump Says He ‘Almost Would Prefer To Have The Democrat Win’ Against Republicans Who Voted To Impeach Him)

Gonzalez announced his retirement from politics due to the “toxic” political environment and threat of violence. He was set to run against former White House staffer Max Miller, who Trump endorsed in February.

Maher said that Republican legislatures are changing state election laws in order to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump has repeatedly claimed was rigged in favor of President Joe Biden. He said that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will be removed from his current position for his refusal to comply with the former president’s request to find alleged missing votes.

In early January, Trump asked Raffensperger during a phone call “to find” 11,780 votes in favor of him to which the Secretary of State pushed back with claims that the election was free of voter fraud. He will challenge 15 Republicans in the 2022 election, including Republican Georgia Rep. Jody Hice, who accused Raffensperger of undermining election integrity.

A Wednesday Pew Research poll found that 44% of Republicans support Trump launching a second presidential bid in 2024. The former president has repeatedly hinted at running again for a second term.

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