HBO talk show host Bill Maher criticized former President Barack Obama and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota Friday night over their outreach to black voters.
Obama spoke at a Pittsburgh-area campaign office for the vice president Thursday, where he urged black men to support Vice President Kamala Harris, while appearing to accuse them of sexism for being hesitant to back the Democratic nominee. Maher said efforts by Walz and Obama to boost black turnout was “not a good sign” for Democrats.
“It’s 25 days before the election, and I’ve gotta say, it’s not looking that great for the Democrats,” Maher said. “I mean, this is not a good sign, you know, when you have an African-American candidate, you probably shouldn’t be having to shore up your support among black men. But that’s what’s going on. Tim Walz is headlining a voter-engagement tonight with black men. Who better to connect with young black men than Tim Walz, apparently because Michael Bublé was unavailable.”
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“Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian’s like, hello?” Maher continued.
A CNN poll released in late September showed Harris leading former President Donald Trump by 55% among black voters under the age of 60, compared to a 71% margin for President Joe Biden in 2020. A New York Times poll released Saturday shows Harris leading Trump by 63% among black voters, compared to an 81% lead for Biden in 2020.
“But no, Obama even came out yesterday to scold,” Maher said. “I mean, he was scolding. Well, I don’t know, the last month at the convention, he was, ‘No scolding,’ now he’s scolding.”
“He was saying, ‘You gotta vote for Harris,” Maher continued. “But of course, for some young, especially the younger black men, it is a tough choice. Harris is African-American, but Trump has a sneaker line, so…”
Trump, who garnered 12% support from black voters in 2020 according to a CNN exit poll, exceeded that level of support in some general election polls, including August polls by CBS, which showed the former president getting 17% of black voters, and Fox News, which indicated 26% of black voters backed the former president.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore
