Bill Maher call’s Trump’s political maneuvering impressive, but evil

Real Time host Bill Maher has offered grudging praise to Donald Trump, saying the former president’s ability to purge the Republican Party of political enemies in primary season has been ‘impressive’. 

‘Eighty-five percent of the people Trump endorsed won: 151 out of 178,’ the commentator said on Friday’s episode of his HBO show, referring to GOP candidates Trump endorsed in primaries. 

‘Say what you want about Mr. Evil, but boy, what a politician. I mean, that’s impressive — in an evil way, but still, impressive,’ added Maher. 

‘There are 10 members of Congress who voted to impeach him and he vowed to knock them off — it’s so Tarantino movie, he’s going to get all 10! He got eight out of 10,’ he noted.

Trump’s grip on the Republican Party has been evident throughout the US primary election season

Trump’s grip on the Republican Party has been evident throughout the US primary election season, in which the parties select their candidates to face off in the general elections in November.

On Tuesday, his arch-nemesis Rep. Liz Cheney lost in a landslide GOP primary defeat to a Trump-endorsed challenger in Wyoming. 

Cheney lost to Trump-backed Harriet Hageman by a whopping 37 points, the fourth worst by an incumbent since 1968. 

The daughter of a former vice president, Cheney was Trump’s most outspoken critic within the Republican Party, even joining the congressional panel investigating the January 6 assault on the US Capitol and Trump’s role in fanning the flames.

Trump gloated at Cheney’s primary defeat, deriding her as ‘sanctimonious’ and a ‘fool’ for suggesting his claims of a rigged election were false. 

Trump’s endorsement also helped propel Senate candidates to victory in competitive primary races, including J.D. Vance in Ohio, Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania and Blake Masters in Arizona. 

On Tuesday, Trump’s arch-nemesis Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming lost in a landslide GOP primary defeat to a challenger endorsed by the former president

Though Trump’s preferred candidates were largely successful, a few suffered notable defeats.

Former US Senator David Perdue, despite getting Trump’s endorsement, did not come close to upsetting Georgia’s incumbent Republican Governor Brian Kemp.

Kemp is despised by Trump for certifying President Joe Biden’s election victory in that state, and Trump had sought to unseat him in the primary.

Perdue, who repeated Trump’s unsupported claims that widespread voter fraud cost him the 2020 election in Georgia, conceded to Kemp shortly after polls closed in the May 24 Republican primary. 

In Alaska, moderate Sen. Lisa Murkowski was able to hold onto the GOP nomination despite Trump meddling in the race on behalf of Kelly Tshibaka. 

Georgia’s incumbent Republican Governor Brian Kemp, despised by Trump for certifying the state’s 2020 vote for Biden, easily survived a challenge from a Trump-endorsed opponent 

Of the 10 GOP representatives who voted to impeach Trump over the Capitol riot, four declined to seek re-election, while four others were defeated in primaries, including Cheney.

The two who survived to seek re-election in November’s general election are Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington and Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

On the Senate side, Murkowski is the only GOP senator who voted to convict Trump who has had to face a reelection race since her vote. 

Sens. Richard Burr, North Carolina, and Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania, announced retirement this year.

The other four Senators who voted ‘guilty’ did not face races this year.