NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
“Real Time” host Bill Maher warned viewers Friday that troops in the streets are “soon coming to a city near you” after President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
“In case you took the summer off from following the news — and who could blame you if you did — America is now a country where, first in LA, then in Washington, D.C., and soon coming to a city near you, the new normal is troops in the streets,” Maher said.
Last month, Trump activated about 800 members of the D.C. National Guard to help restore order in the nation’s capital, including cracking down on crime.
‘THEY’RE EMBARRASSING US’: NATIONAL GUARD PRESENCE IN DC SPARKS FIERY CAPITOL CLASH
Maher argued that Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in cities like Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles sets a dangerous precedent. (Screenshot, “Real Time”/HBO)
The late-night host questioned why law enforcement officers weren’t insulted that Trump “thinks so little” of them that he sent in “military troops” to do their jobs in places like D.C. and Los Angeles.
“Why doesn’t that piss you off?” he asked.
Maher argued that deploying military troops to American cities is unprecedented outside of “true emergencies,” adding that crime in Washington does not rise to that level.
MARYLAND RESIDENTS TELL DON LEMON THEY APPROVE OF TRUMP’S CRIME CRACKDOWN, HOPE BALTIMORE IS NEXT
“Trump says, ‘I’m not a dictator. I just know how to stop crime.’ And I take him at his word because when has he ever told a lie?” he joked, suggesting that “page one of the dictator handbook” is a pretext, and that dictators will “find a pretext to do what you want to do anyway.”
President Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
prev
next
Members of the District of Columbia National Guard stand next to an MATV vehicle and scan the area as they patrol outside Union Station Sept. 1, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo)
Armed National Guard members patrol near the U.S. Capitol as security tightens following President Trump’s deployment order. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Maher suggested the “pretext” for Trump’s decision was the carjacking and assault of Department of Government Efficiency staffer Edward Coristine, also known as “Big Balls,” in Washington last month.
While acknowledging crime in the capital is a problem, Maher pointed out that Republican-led cities with higher crime rates have not received National Guard deployments.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
The late-night host noted that while Trump touts the 87% decrease in violent crime in D.C., citing Metropolitan Police data, there is a darker side to deploying troops to combat crime. He argued that although “military states can reduce crime,” the creation of a military state is not “safer for democracy.”
“Once it’s normal to have an army loyal to you already in the streets, game over. That is how all future political disputes will be decided. Folks, it’s not worth the trade-off,” Maher warned.
Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
