Jane Fonda and Bill Maher agree that they’re not fans of President-elect Donald Trump — but their shared opinion seems to end there.
The “Grace and Frankie” star was a guest on Sunday’s episode of Maher’s “Club Random” podcast, during which he gave his thoughts on why Trump won the 2024 election.
“There is two parts of the Trump coalition. … There’s about a third of this country that’s very hard right. Of course they love Trump. When he left office, he had an approval rating of 34%. So he really only had those people. Why is he now, like, tied?” Maher said.
“Because the other part of the coalition are people who, they don’t really like him that much,” Maher continued. “They just think the far left has gone so nutty on so many issues.”
“That’s what they’re being told … by people like you,” Fonda interjected.
Maher has become increasingly critical of the Democratic Party and liberals in general, with the crux of his criticism seeming squarely aimed at his disdain for “woke” culture.
Last year, he raged on X, formerly called Twitter, about how he felt the “Barbie” movie was “preachy” and “man-hating” while also arguing that the “patriarchy” doesn’t really exist anymore. And earlier this year, he argued that Louis C.K. shouldn’t be canceled anymore after admitting to sexual misconduct allegations, despite the comedian having gone on to release four comedy specials — one of which won a Grammy — since the accusations were made in 2017.
After Fonda called Maher out, she asked him to define what he means by “far left” and to give an example.
In response, Maher brought up the NAACP and cited the organization’s travel advisory against going to Florida last year after it accused the state and its governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, of being “openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.”
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Although Fonda did not push back at this or some of Maher’s other arguments, it was abundantly clear that she did not agree with his opinions. This came to a head later on in the episode, when Maher rambled about Fonda’s long career of activism and implied that even if she lived in a utopia, “it would be the greatest pain” for her because “you’re there for the cause … but also the cause is there for you a little.”
Visibly confused, Fonda replied, ”You’re so different then me that it’s hard for me sometimes to even understand what you’re talking about.”
“Really?” Maher said. “We must have a lot in common.”
“I don’t think we do,” Fonda responded. “Just your worldview is so totally different than mine. I just don’t see people the same way. … I think you’re very cynical.”