There are a few sane, old school liberals around. In recent months it seems like the "democratic socialists" have overshadowed them. Some of the old school liberals have been subsumed, co-opted to the far left, lest they be called bad names; but a few have resisted the descent into socialist nitwittery. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) is one of them. And talk-show host and comedian Bill Maher is another. Maher, in particular, at least makes some effort to look at the facts and give credit where credit is deserved.
His latest observation is about the Trump administration and the recent dramatic drop in crime rates, which Maher attributes to, as he puts it, Trump being the "FAFO president."
Warning: Typically Maher-ian bad language follows.
Public safety has improved across the US because criminals have gotten the message from “badass” President Trump — a “f–k around and find out president,” talk host Bill Maher told his audience Friday.
Maher spoke about the reasons behind stunning drops in the national crime rate on his “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO – and gave at least some of the credit to the president’s macho image.
“It’s just childish to pretend that when you elect a “f— around and find out” president, a ‘no more Mr. Nice Guy-booting-your-ass-V-for-vendetta-kick-ass—and-take-names-say-hello-to-my-little-friend’ president, that’s not going to have some effect on crime,” Maher said to laughs from his studio audience.
In another one of his trademark mixed ideological takes, he praised Trump after also giving some credit to the left and bashing the surveillance state.
“It’s not just drug crime that’s way down – it’s all crime. And again, probably much of it is not political. It’s because you can’t move two inches in America without being tracked, photographed, and followed by a flock camera,” he quipped.
Credit where credit's due. Maher is a liberal but in this he's right; crime is dropping. And, yes, part of that may be due to our uncomfortable surveillance state, but here's the one thing that Maher doesn't mention, and that's the hundreds of thousands of illegal alien criminals who have been taken off the streets, and either sent home or imprisoned. That's got to be making a big difference, but it doesn't fit even the moderate Democrat/liberal mind-set, so he won't credit that.
But then, Maher reels himself back in with a Democrat talking point.
“But it’s also because when Democrats expand the safety net, there are less desperate people – and because Trump is a badass. No, I don’t agree with many of his methods, like how they sometimes just deport people to countries where they have absolutely no connection – like Meghan and Harry,” he said, giving the line a royal finish. Is doing it this way the right thing? No.”
I'm not buying the safety net corral litter. People don't break into jewelry stores or loot Apple outlets because they can't afford diapers or bread. People don't stage street takeovers because they are hungry. And yes, if an illegal alien's country won't take him or her back, we're under no obligation to keep them here; if they don't like it in whatever country "where they have absolutely no connection," well, they had a very generous option to self-deport, and they didn't take it. I have no sympathy for such people.
But Maher is correct in the main point: Leadership matters, and the image of authority matters. Under President Trump, over 650,000 illegal aliens have been deported, over a million have gone home voluntarily, and the order in January of 2025 was to focus on known criminals first. Now we're seeing the results; and even Bill Maher has to admit, what a difference a president makes.