Joe Scarborough, former Republican congressman and current co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” voiced his concerns about former President Donald Trump during his October 2024 visit to HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.” Joining him on the show was billionaire Mark Cuban, both of them disquieted by Trump’s recent remarks about possible actions against his political adversaries.
On the Friday night episode, Scarborough called on Republican voters to heed the words of Trump. “I don’t want people to listen to me, I don’t want them to listen to you, I don’t want them to listen to anybody,” Scarborough said. “I want them to listen to what Donald Trump says.”
Scarborough, the MSNBC host, elucidated on specific claims Trump has allegedly made. He stated that Trump recently expressed intentions to employ military and National Guard forces to detain his political rivals. The former president was reported to have reaffirmed his stance when questioned about it.
Moreover, Scarborough brought up other contentious remarks reportedly made by Trump. These included a purported desire to execute the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff over perceived disloyalty, and a comment to a general expressing a wish his generals would emulate those who served under Hitler.
As the conversation escalated, Mark Cuban, famed for his role on “Shark Tank” and as owner of the Dallas Mavericks, used a popular culture analogy. He likened the situation to the newest season of “The Sopranos,” which amused the audience.
Bill Maher, the program’s host, posed a question about Trump’s past suggestion of incarcerating Hillary Clinton. To this, Scarborough addressed a common defense of Trump’s pronouncements, noting that people initially refute Trump’s statements, only to downplay their severity even after being presented with evidence. He emphasized that Trump’s words should be taken at face value.
Maher, addressing the common accusation of “Trump derangement syndrome” levied at Trump critics, said, “I would just like to say to my Republican friends that it’s not deranged to fear this, it’s not deranged to find this alarming.”
Scarborough underscored that these were not hypothetical assertions about Trump’s future actions. “We’re not saying this,” he asserted. “We’re not guessing what he’s going to do. He’s saying this is what I’m going to do.” He then mentioned more alleged threats, including possible military tribunals for former Representative Liz Cheney and arrests of MSNBC producers.
Mark Cuban joined the conversation again, criticizing Elon Musk for his silence on Trump’s alleged threats to close down media outlets. Cuban pointed out the contradiction in Musk’s stance, who is a vocal proponent of free speech yet remains quiet when Trump talks about shutting down networks like CBS. Cuban expressed his perplexity at Musk’s silence, especially when press freedom is at risk.
The discussion on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” underscored ongoing worries about the political discourse and its potential impact on American democracy. As the 2024 election draws near, these concerns are expected to continue being a key part of political discussions.
