"Real Time" host Bill Maher completely reversed his attitude toward the New York trial against former President Trump and predicted that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will be a "rising star" in Democrat politics if he gets a conviction.
"This one, I got to say I was always against [it] because I thought of all the ones you're bringing, this is the least serious. … Now I think Trump could lose," Maher began the panel discussion Friday night.
"I'm turning on this one because it's not what I thought it was going to be. And this David Pecker – I mean, brought down by a Pecker, this guy," Maher quipped.
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Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, was the first witness to take the stand in Trump's trial last week, detailing how he used "catch-and-kill" payments to bury stories about extramarital affair allegations against Trump when he ran for president in the 2016 election cycle.
"He's, like, not covering up anything," Maher said about Pecker's testimony. "And what he is saying now is that the crux of it – he [is] saying this was not to protect his family. Donald Trump did this to win the election. This is the key thing. And it's so clear. I think even a jury of Americans could get this."
"And by the way, if this goes that way and Trump loses, it's going to change the whole election," Maher later said. "A number of independents, a significant number, and Republicans say their vote will change if he is a convicted criminal. And he'll look like a loser, not that he doesn't already, but you know."
"And Alvin Bragg is going to be the rising star of the Democratic Party because everyone said, ‘Not a good idea,’ including me. So, we'll see," he added.
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Last year, as Bragg prepared to bring the first indictment against Trump, Maher predicted it would be a "colossal mistake" that would benefit Trump's 2024 bid.
"I just would like to go on record in saying I think this is a colossal mistake if they bring these charges. Not this one, you know," Maher said at the time. "I mean, yes, he's done a lot of bad things, and I'm sure he did this – everything they accused him of [doing], he did. But first of all, it's not going to work. It's going to be rocket fuel for his 2024 campaign. And it's just going to look to MAGA nation like, ‘Oh, you know, you tried with Mueller, you tried with Ukraine, you tried with Jan. 6.’ Now we go to the porn star? Really? You're down to that?"
