Journalist Kara Swisher told comic and political pundit Bill Maher that President Donald Trump is “a coin-operated president” by virtue of his crypto-currency venture, which she called “ridiculous and corrupt.” On Friday night’s edition of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, the interview guests were Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, actors and comedic duo who are the subjects of the documentary “Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie.” The panel guests were Kara Swisher, co-host of the “Pivot” podcast, host of “On with Kara Swisher” podcast, and author of “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story”; and Kevin McCarthy, former Republican congressman who represented California’s 20th district and served as the 55th Speaker of the House. In one exchange, Maher told McCarthy to “Shut up!” as he defended Trump’s businesses, and Swisher swooped in to blast Trump crypto as “a way to pay the president under the table”: BILL MAHER: So they just lie every time they lie also. I heard last week the Republicans are actually thinking about raising taxes on the rich KARA SWISHER: That was an excellent rich person’s laugh.
KEVIN MCCARTHY: Nothing holds you back from writing a bigger check. BILL MAHER: I, well, don’t, I, no, that’s not going to happen. And we haven’t even gotten to the corruption part of it.
You know, I mean, our finances look like they’re going to be screwed. My savings thing went down. His are better than ever.
Crypto. Crypto. And also, like I read today, he’s opening a, they’re gonna build, Trump family’s gonna build a resort in the United Arab Emirates.
Can you imagine Obama doing that? Obama’s in the resorts business now. No comment from the Republicans, that would have been okay with you guys.
KEVIN MCCARTHY: But that’s the business he did before he was even. BILL MAHER: But he’s president now! Of course, you give it up when you be-.
KEVIN MCCARTHY: But he is not involved in his business. Eric Ronson resorts-. Oh, shut up– Just shut up.
KEVIN MCCARTHY: It is unfair to criticize if the Trump business that builds resorts, still builds resort. KARA SWISHER: All right, fine with resorts if you want to, although it’s a very thin skin. It’s not fine.
Crypto stuff is ridiculous and it’s corrupt. It’s a way to pay the president under the table in ways we do not understand and will not understand. BILL MAHER: Right– It’s a way to pay the– yes.
KARA SWISHER: It makes it feel like, and I think it will see in time, a coin-operated president. Like, you can give him money and not know it, essentially. BILL MAHER: Well, that’s kind of what crypto is.
Watch above via HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher.
