Maher ribs Trump over falling poll numbers, America 250 bash
Maher ribs Trump over falling poll numbers, America 250 bash
Sophie BramsSat, May 30, 2026 at 2:36 PM UTC
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Comedian Bill Maher ribbed President Trump on Friday over his dismal poll numbers and the blowback to a massive upcoming bash on the National Mall celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
Trump’s job approval rating slipped to a record low of 34 percent this week, according to a poll conducted by YouGov and The Economist, amid a deeply unpopular war with Iran that has strained the U.S. economy.
A separate poll found that the president’s support among white adults without college degrees — a usually reliable group of voters for Trump — is also falling. Trump had a +28 net approval rating among the group when his second term began but that slipped to -4 as of mid-May.
“That was always his base. That’s like Taco Bell losing stoners,” Maher joked in the opening monologue of his HBO late-night show “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
“I mean, really, losing the non-college-educated white people? What does he have to do, stage UFC fights on the lawn? Oh, wait, we’re doing that, I forgot. We actually are doing that. My bad,” the host added.
Crews began erecting a temporary octagon on the south lawn of the White House this week, where several Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts will take place on Trump’s 80th birthday June 14.
It is one of dozens of events being promoted to coincide with the U.S. semiquincentennial, several of which have drawn scrutiny for their affiliation with the Trump administration.
A handful of entertainers scheduled to perform at The Great American State Fair this summer pulled out of performances after claiming they were misled about what they describe as the political nature of the event.
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The schedule initially included artists such as included Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli and Bret Michaels, among others — a lineup Maher teased showed Trump is “concerned for the unemployed.” The latter two groups in recent days have pulled out from participating.
“That’s got to hurt a lot when you can’t close the deal with Milli Vanilli,” Maher said.
But Fab Morvan, one of the frontmen for the 1980s pop duo, told The on Thursday that he would still be performing at the bash despite the real voices behind the act distancing themselves.
“I am here to entertain and unite people, not divide them,” Morvan told the outlet. “Let’s celebrate life & music and take a trip down memory lane. I feel honored to be a part of as it will celebrate the 250 Year Anniversary of America with so many other accomplished artists.”
Country singer Martina McBride, Young MC, Morris Day and the Time and the C+C Music Factory have also pulled out of the event.
“I was presented with an opportunity to perform at a nonpartisan event but that turned out to be misleading,” McBride shared in an Instagram post this week.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
