Bill Maher Weighs Trump's Jail Sentence: 'Civil War' and 'Race War' Concerns

Real Time host Bill Maher expresses hesitation about sending former President Trump to jail, citing potential unrest and societal division. He predicts a "civil war" and "race war" if Trump is imprisoned.

In the wake of former President Trump's guilty verdict in the New York trial for falsifying business records, Real Time host Bill Maher grappled with the potential consequences of sending Trump to prison. Maher expressed concerns about the impact on American society, warning of potential civil unrest and racial division if Trump is incarcerated.

During a panel discussion on Friday night, Maher posed the question: "Is he going to jail? Will this judge dare do that? And should he?" He acknowledged the argument that Trump would likely face jail time if he were not a former president.

"I mean, I've heard some people say if his name wasn't Donald Trump, he would definitely get jail time," Maher said. "But sending a former American president to jail, I don't know if that's something- I'm asking."

Former Republican Congressman Ken Buck predicted that Trump would not receive a prison sentence based on Manhattan's sentencing history for similar crimes. However, former Obama adviser David Axelrod expressed reluctance about sending the presumptive Republican nominee to prison.

"Listen, a lot of people in my tribe don't like it when I say this, but yeah, I think there is something about jailing a former president, especially on something like this," Axelrod told Maher. "That is, to me, worrisome for our country. And I would really be shocked if this judge gave him a prison sentence for this."

Maher warned that "MAGA nation will go nuts" if Trump is sentenced to prison. "I don't know if that's a reason to or not to do something, but they will," he said.

Maher also expressed concerns about the potential for a "civil war" and "race war" if Trump is incarcerated. He accused Trump's supporters of being outraged by the fact that the district attorney is Black and the judge is Hispanic.

"A civil war in this country, I'm sorry to say, becomes a race war," Maher said. "That's the sad truth about this country. And if they put him in jail, I mean, the first thing his supporters are gonna say is, 'Oh, that's what it is.' A Black district attorney. You know, all these people who are the district attorneys, they're black. The judge was not White. This is what it is."

Trump's legal team has vowed to challenge the guilty verdict. Trump's supporters have accused Democrats of using lawfare to try to defeat him in the upcoming presidential election.