Bill Maher said Wednesday that he backed Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran at first, but now believes the president has turned the conflict into a dangerous mess with no clear exit strategy.
Speaking on Billy Bush’s Hot Mics podcast, the 70-year-old comedian said, “I’m supportive of the idea of going into Iran. I thought that was a good attempt.” He said his view has changed because the war has dragged on for more than 12 weeks, far beyond the White House’s early estimate that major operations would wrap within four or five weeks.
“What I hope he does now is realize it didn’t work,” Maher said. “Now let’s not make a bad situation worse. Let’s get out of this as cleanly as we can, and we’ll try again at some point if we have to.” He added that the better moment to confront Iran would have been, “when the people were in the streets,” a reference to anti-regime protests that broke out months before the conflict escalated into open warfare.
The comments land as Trump is trying to project control over a war that has repeatedly spilled into the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carries about 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. In April, Trump announced an extension of a ceasefire framework with Iran while the U.S. continued enforcing a naval blockade there. Hours later, Iran reportedly attacked three commercial vessels in the region, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of sabotaging negotiations through “breach of commitments, blockade, and threats.” Trump replied on social media that the strait was “COMPLETELY OPEN,” then later issued a shoot-to-kill warning against Iranian vessels suspected of deploying naval mines.
The pressure has not faded. In May, Trump said the United States would help “free up” stranded ships trapped near the strait, while senior Iranian military officials warned American forces would face retaliation if they entered the area. Hours after that warning, Iranian outlets claimed missiles struck a U.S. warship near the southern end of the waterway. Last week, Trump said a deal to obtain Iran’s enriched uranium was imminent, but a senior Iranian official said negotiations remained deadlocked the same day.
Public opinion has moved against the war as well. An Ipsos poll conducted in May found 52 percent of Americans believed the conflict had not been worth it, while 23 percent said the military action was justified. Gas prices also climbed to a national average of $4.46 a gallon, adding another layer of strain as the fighting dragged on.
Maher’s shift is notable because he did not reject the original strike outright. He said he still thought it was “a good attempt.” But his bottom line was harder to miss: the war has outlasted the optimistic timetable, the exit remains unclear, and the president’s next move may matter more than the strike itself. For Trump, the problem is no longer whether he could start the fight. It is whether he can now stop it without making it worse.
