HBO “Real Time” host Bill Maher likes to tell people he’s not a crazy leftist but a classic liberal in the 1960s mode.
That said, he still manages, from time to time, to spew typical
Democrat talking points when he characterizes Republican voters—like accusing them all of being “racists.”
Florida Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds, who is black, pushed back on Maher’s suggestion that race played a role in Donalds’ performance in parts of the state during the recent primary.
Appearing on Friday’s show, Donalds rejected Maher’s assertion that he lost counties in Florida’s Panhandle in part because the region has a predominantly White electorate.
Donalds disputed that characterization of the results and challenged the suggestion that racism was responsible for his weaker showing in those areas.
“You did lose the ‘Redneck Riviera’ badly,” Maher said, referring to Donalds’ losses in Calhoun, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hardee, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Union and Washington counties, rural counties where roughly 94% of Republican voters are White.
“I can’t get with you on a lot of this policy stuff,” Maher continued. “But I think it would be great if the country did have [its] first Black, Republican governor.”
Maher went on to heap praise on Donalds for his willingness to run in “this post-racial world” where constituents don’t care about the “color of their skin.”
But then Maher claimed, “we’re not quite there yet though.”
“The Redneck Riviera, which is the Panhandle,” Maher began.
“I think there are people there who still would not — you’re a Republican, you’re a Trumper — they should love you and they don’t. I think there is still racism,” he added.
“Let’s talk a little bit about the Panhandle,” Donalds replied, beginning his rebuttal.
“There are counties we did incredibly well in that we won. There were some counties that we fell a little short in, that’s OK,” he said.
Donalds went on to note that his victory came within a crowded field of 11 GOP candidates “who had various lines of support.”
“The No. 1 thing overall, we closed out 48% of the vote
in Florida,” Donalds said. “Eight hundred thousand votes [is] a long way to becoming the nominee.”
Donalds countered Maher’s claim that racial bias affected the primary results, emphasizing that Florida is a state where anyone can seek opportunities in elected office.
“Florida really has become the microcosm of what we all want,” Donalds said. “It’s a meritocracy.
“And it’s about the best person with the best views, the best skills, the best talent moving forward to represent your state or to represent a district in your state, and Florida exemplifies that,” he said.
This comes as President Donald Trump’s administration kicked off the week with another decisive move underscoring the “America First” agenda.
The Trump administration has set the refugee admissions cap for Fiscal Year 2026 at a record-low 7,500 — a dramatic reduction from the 125,000 ceiling established under the Biden administration.
The policy redirects limited slots primarily toward Afrikaners from South Africa facing government-sponsored discrimination and violence while suspending broad refugee inflows that critics say strain U.S. resources and pose security risks.
The decision builds on Trump’s first-day executive order in January 2025, titled “Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program,” which indefinitely suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) until it aligns with national interests.
That order cited the program’s burden on communities, potential security threats, and the need for rigorous vetting to ensure refugees can assimilate and contribute without compromising taxpayer resources or public safety.
“Entry into the United States of refugees under the USRAP would be detrimental to the interests of the United States,” the order stated.
The order directs the Department of Homeland Security and State Department to prioritize American citizens first.
White House officials have emphasized that the sharp cut addresses years of unchecked migration under President Biden, which they argue flooded the system with inadequately screened individuals from high-risk regions.
By October 30, 2025, the administration formalized the 7,500 cap, noting admissions would focus on “victims of illegal or unjust discrimination” — explicitly highlighting white Afrikaner farmers in South Africa targeted amid land expropriation policies and rising violence.
