Bill Maher Applauds Donald Trump’s “Genius” Strategy To Win Over Single-Issue Voters—Starting With Cannabis

Bill Maher isn’t usually one to throw compliments Donald Trump’s way—but this week, even he couldn’t resist applauding the former president’s savvy play at winning over single-issue voters.

On a recent episode of Real Time, Maher laid it out: Trump knows how to “pick off voters issue by issue,” and now cannabis legalization could be the one that wins him over. His tone was gleefully defeated—like a parent watching a kid beat their high score.

Maher quipped, “I’ve been telling Democrats for years, the Republicans are gonna steal pot from you as an issue.” It wasn’t a rallying cry—it was the sound of a cynic admitting the game was one.

He drove it home with a riff on Trump’s playbook: “He’s the master at winning votes from small groups who are passionate about one issue, picking up a couple percent here, a couple there…” until Election Night turns into something like a bizarre Y-M-C-A celebration.

And when it comes to timing, Maher confessed—with tongue in cheek—that Trump finally swung by his own camp. “Finally, he got around to me,” he teased during his “New Rules” segment—comparing his own potential shift to that of single-issue Black voters who helped Trump make gains in key cities.

“What did you expect?” he shrugged. “He’s the master…” And amid all of this, Trump has already said he’ll have a decision on cannabis rescheduling “in the next few weeks”—a move that would send seismic ripples through the cannabis industry and potentially benefit Maher personally, since he co-owns The Woods, a West Hollywood consumption lounge.

You can watch Maher’s full “New Rule” segment from Friday’s Real Time with Bill Maher above.

This isn’t Maher’s first polit-comedy tightrope with Trump. Earlier this year, he had dinner with the president at the White House—sparking backlash from fans who accused him of going too soft. But even then, he shrugged off the critics, calling the dinner an act of engagement—and noting Trump’s unexpectedly gracious demeanor.