Bill Maher tells JD Vance to his face Trump's election fraud claims 'have to stop'

Donald Trump has repeatedly maintained that the 2020 election was stolen from him, a claim that has evolved into a litmus test for many within the Republican Party
JD Vance once again stepped into hostile territory for an interview with Maher, who cornered him on election denial (AP Photos and RealTime/YouTube)
JD Vance once again stepped into hostile territory for an interview with Maher, who cornered him on election denial (AP Photos and RealTime/YouTube)


WASHINGTON, DC: Bill Maher has had enough of Donald Trump and his allies’ election fraud claims, and he's calling on JD Vance to put an end to it.

The 41-year-old Vice President, who is currently on a media tour promoting his new book, once again stepped into hostile territory for an interview with Maher, who cornered him on election denial.

Donald Trump has repeatedly maintained that the 2020 election was stolen from him, a claim that has evolved into a litmus test for many within the Republican Party.

He repeated the similar claims earlier this month when he blasted California’s slow primary vote count as "rigged".

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 24: U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House on June 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Secretary-General Mark Rutte is meeting with the President before the annual NATO summit next month and as the Pentagon does a six-month review of American forces in Europe. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
. President Donald Trump looks on as Vice President JD Vance speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House on June 24, 2026, in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Maher says his vote 'will be in play' in 2028

On Friday's episode of Real Time, Bill Maher put JD Vance on the spot over what he described as MAGA's tendency to cry election fraud whenever Republicans come up short at the ballot box.

“Under Trump, you guys have two outcomes that an election can be: Either we win, or they cheated,” Maher said, adding “That s--t has to stop.”

The comedian brought up the topic after acknowledging that his 2028 vote could be "in play" if the Democratic Party continues shifting toward what he characterized as democratic socialism, anti-capitalism, hostility toward Israel, and "Jew-hating."

Maher acknowledged that Trump accomplished something many thought might be impossible. (screenshot,@BillMaher, X)
Bill Maher put JD Vance on the spot over what he described as MAGA's tendency to cry election fraud whenever Republicans come up short at the ballot box. (screenshot,@BillMaher, X)

“If this is where the Democratic Party is going… my vote is in play, OK?” Maher told Vance.

“Trump can’t run again... so it’s either gonna be you or Rubio,” he added. “And that means the person who has to stop it would be you or Marco. Can you tell me you will do that? Will you bring us back to the middle, at least on that, where we concede elections?”

JD Vance sticks to old stolen election claims

Rather than answering Maher’s question, Vance once again repeated Trump’s claims of election denial, saying, “I don’t think that we should not concede elections, but I don’t think that’s what’s going on.”

Vance argued that Trump's "core argument" centered on what he called "problems that exist in 2020," before attempting to steer the conversation away from vote totals in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and other key battleground states.

“The biggest criticism I had of the 2020 election is that you had technology companies that were quite literally censoring negative information about the left and promoting negative information about the right,” he added.

Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

“That was litigated,” Maher said, referencing Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox News over false 2020 election claims.

But Vance didn’t stop there as he noted that “No, I’m actually trying to make the more middle ground argument here,”

The vice president claimed the 2020 election was “rigged” in a “fundamental sense” because tech companies had “put their thumb on the scale in a way that completely obliterated the real open exchange of ideas.”

To which Maher replied, “Well, you’re gonna get a big pat on the back when you go back to the White House.”

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