Bill Maher admits he was wrong about Trump on tariffs: 'I don’t see a country in depression at all'

Previously, Bill Maher slammed Donald Trump’s 'backwards' China policy and expressed hope that a recession would force him to change course
Bill Maher acknowledged that his prediction about President Donald Trump's tariff plan damaging the economy turned out to be incorrect (Screengrab/Club Random Podcast, Getty Images)
Bill Maher acknowledged that his prediction about President Donald Trump's tariff plan damaging the economy turned out to be incorrect (Screengrab/Club Random Podcast, Getty Images)


 

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Comedian Bill Maher said that he was wrong regarding President Donald Trump's tariffs during a podcast posted on Monday, July 28.

Maher made the statement during his 'Club Random' podcast while explaining that he has always been truthful with his audience during a conversation with YouTube host Brian Tyler Cohen.

Bill Maher admits he was wrong about tariffs sinking the economy

Bill Maher said during the podcast, "Just to take an example, tariffs. Now I remember that I, along with probably most people, was saying at the beginning, 'Oh, you know, by the 4th of July… the economy was going to be tanked by then', and I was kind of like, 'Well, that seems right to me.'"

"But that didn’t happen. It could happen tomorrow. I’m just saying, that’s reality, so let’s work first from the reality of that, not from 'I just hate Donald Trump', because that’s boring and doesn’t get us anywhere and leads you to dishonesty," he added.

He then said, "The truth is, I don’t know what his strategy is but look, the stock market is at record highs… I also drive around. I don’t see a country in a depression at all. I see people just out there living their lives."

U.S. President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order imposing tariffs on imported goods during a “Make America Wealthy Again” trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. Touting the event as “Liberation Day”, Trump announced sweeping new tariffs targeting goods imported to the U.S. on countries including China, Japan and India. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order imposing tariffs on imported goods during a 'Make America Wealthy Again' trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

"I would have thought, and I’ve got to own it, that these tariffs were going to f*****g sink this economy by this time, and they didn’t. How do we deal with that fact? Because that’s the fact," Maher added.

Meanwhile, Cohen chimed in and said that the tariff saga is an example of why he stopped making bold predictions.

He said, "If I was good at predicting things, Hillary [Clinton] would have been the president in 2016."


LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 02: Bill Maher attends a game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on December 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Bill Maher attends a game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on December 02, 2023, in Los Angeles, California (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Bill Maher previously slammed Donald Trump’s trade tactics

Interestingly, Maher's opinion wasn't the same earlier. In March, he took a jab at the POTUS over his "completely a** backwards" approach to China and said he was rooting for a recession to get him to reverse course.

He said at the time, "I just feel like he picked a fight with the wrong bully."

President Trump imposed a slew of tariffs on countries across the world since taking office, and aimed to rebalance what he calls unfair trade deals that take advantage of the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a copy of a 2025 National Trade Estimate Report as he speaks during a “Make America Wealthy Again” trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. Touting the event as “Liberation Day”, Trump is expected to announce additional tariffs targeting goods imported to the U.S. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump holds up a copy of a 2025 National Trade Estimate Report as he speaks during a 'Make America Wealthy Again' trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In March, Bill Maher had challenged one of Trump’s central tariff arguments.

Maher asked his 'Real Time' panel back then, "I have one basic question: Why do we want to bring back manufacturing? It’s so 70s, you know? I mean, that ship has sailed. You know, there are countries that make jeans for $11. We’re never going to be that country again."

He had also mentioned, "China’s moving into the AI age, and he wants to go back to manufacturing, which, by the way, if you create new jobs, who’s going to take them? Robots. That’s who’s going to take them anyway! He acts like progress itself is woke."

Internet trolls Bill Maher

Several internet users trolled Bill Maher for admitting he was wrong regarding Donald Trump's tariffs and added that he doesn't see a country in depression.

A user wrote on X, "Tariffs haven’t even started yet," while one added, "Stock market bubbles don't reflect the true economy. What happens after the pump and dump does."



 



 

A person also stated, "Bill Maher is lying!" whereas one mentioned, "No one in his circle sees a difference…that’s what he sees."



 



 

A user also wrote, "Doesn’t feel like Maher does his own research. Whomever does, or whomever he’s listening to, needs to be replaced" while one commented, "Why does he have to 'deal with that fact'? What's to deal with? Just admit things are gong well and move on to the next topic."



 



 

Another person said, "Guess Billy doesn't look at prices in the grocery store."



 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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