Bill Maher to Gavin Newsom: ‘You’re imitating’ Trump

During California Governor Gavin Newsom’s final appearance in 2025 on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the titular host took pains to grill his governor on what he believed were the many unnecessary layers of bureaucracy in the Golden State — namely being forced to pay for two roof inspections of his home following the wildfires that devastated the Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

“Why do I need two inspections that I have to pay for?!” the comedian exclaimed. “You were here last time. We were talking about regulations. You said, ‘Oh, it’s a completely new day… You said you were working on it.’

That’s about as exciting as things get. Maher is a big fan of Newsom’s overalls, having repeatedly urged him to run for president in 2028, and applauded his social media trolling of President Trump. Plus, they have the exact same hairstyle.

On Friday night, Newsom returned to the late-night HBO show to promote his memoir “Young Man in a Rush: A Memoir of Discovery.” Maher was a bit stricter on his friend than in the past.

Maher began their sit-down conversation by asking Newsom how high the temperature in American politics has risen given the recent assassination attempt on President Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

“What did [Trump] do it the next day [the assassination attempt]? He was talking about the beach photo and the indictment of one of his enemies,” Newsom responded, referring to Trump going after former FBI Director James Comey over an innocuous photo of arranged shells he posted. “He’s doing nothing to try to unite this country in any way. To me, that’s the biggest reflection of this moment – ​​just the sewer we live in now because of Donald Trump.”

Then Maher dug in his heels: “But a lot of people would say that You imitate him… You are the one to imitate his trolling style. You’re suing Fox now, I understand that.’

“Fox better settle now or apologize for defamation,” Newsom responded.

“Okay, but that sounds exactly like what he does,” Maher offered. “Sue the media?” Since 2024, Trump has forced major media companies, including Disney and Paramount, into rich settlements over frivolous lawsuits.

Newsom was undeterred: “Well, don’t slander, don’t lie,” he said of his lawsuit to Fox News.

“That do sounds like him,” Maher repeated.