Talk show host and comedian Bill Maher said he's "hoping" for the U.S. economy to crash if that's what it takes to "get rid" of President Donald Trump, Mediaite reported.
"I feel like the bottom has to fall out at some point. And by the way, I'm hoping for it. Because I think one way you get rid of Trump is a crashing economy. So please, bring on the recession," Maher said Friday during a panel discussion about the economy on his HBO show "Real Time With Bill Maher."
"Sorry if that hurts people," Maher continued, "but it's either root for a recession or you lose your democracy."
Fellow panelist political commentator Shermichael Singleton chuckled and cautioned the economy was doing well "for now," while MSNBC analyst John Heilemann maintained that Trump, through policies such as his recently imposed tariffs on allies, was "doing everything" possible to "screw up the good economy."
"You watch Trump's rhetoric, he stands up there and says, 'Lowest unemployment ever. African Americans doing great. We're all doing fantastic,'" Heilemann began, adding that, conversely, the president will also say, "'It's a disaster! We've got to change everything! America's getting robbed blind by the foreigners!'
"Are we having a good economy or a bad economy?" Heilemann then asked. "If it's a good economy, why not just let it ride?"
The economy has seen improvements during Trump's presidency, with credit given in part to the Republican-led tax reform law Congress passed late last year. Businesses have responded with increases in expansion and hiring, and in June, the unemployment rate fell to a record low of 3.8 percent, with black and Hispanic unemployment hitting historic lows as well.
Should the economy take a downtown, Maher, who rakes in an annual salary of around $10 million, currently has about $100 million stowed away, Newsweek reported.
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