Comedian Bill Maher offered surprising praise for President Donald Trump's handling of crime Friday, telling his audience that the president's tough-guy persona may have played a role in a nationwide drop in violent crime."It's not just drug crime that's way down, it's all crime," Maher said during Friday’s episode of HBO’s "Real Time," adding, "And again, probably much of it is not political.It's because you can't move two inches in America without being tracked, photographed, and followed by a Flock camera."According to the late-night host, the president is a "bad a--" and it's childish to pretend" his tough on crime stance isn't having an impact. Maher went on to credit both Democratic policies and Trump with contributing to lower nationwide crime rates.MAHER MOCKS LIBERALS FOR STILL PANICKING ABOUT TRUMP'S ANTICS, PERSONALITY AFTER 10 YEARSBill Maher attends the Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15, 2026, in Los Angeles, Calif.
(FilmMagic via Getty Images)"It's also because when Democrats expand the safety net, there are less desperate people," Maher said."And because Trump is a bad a--."Maher added that while he does not "agree with many of [Trump’s] methods," he cannot argue that the president’s tough-on-crime approach has yielded successful results.TRUMP TO RALLY WITH NEW YORK POLICE IN HIGHLIGHTING HISTORIC COAST-TO-COAST VIOLENT CRIME DROPU.S.
President Donald Trump speaks alongside Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel during a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House on October 15, 2025 in Washington, DC.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)"Is doing it this way the right thing? No. But it's just childish to pretend that when you elect a f---around-and-find-out president, a no-more-Mr.-Nice-Guy, boot-in-your-a--, ‘V for Vendetta,’ kick-a-- and take names, say-hello-to-my-little-friend president, that's not going to have some effect on crime," he continued."He ha...