Maher calls Democrat politicians ‘cowards,’ referencing take on the Sept. 11 attack that got his old show canceled

Comedian Bill Maher called Democratic politicians “cowards” while doubling down on his stance that Sept. 11 hijackers were not – a position that infamously led to ABC canceling his show over two decades ago.

In a segment on HBO show “ Real Time ” on Friday, Maher reaffirmed his opinion that “the terrorists weren’t cowards” which he initially said after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“I know a guy whose show got canceled just for saying the terrorists weren’t cowards. And that guy was right. They weren’t cowards, but I’ll tell you who is: Democratic party politicians,” the host stated.

He said that this “moral confusion” within the party is most notable when talking about “a place called Gaza.”

“A little strip of land that was not part of the original Israel, but which they won in a war launched against them, but then gave back as a peace gesture,” he said.

“I think Macklemore spoke for all clueless celebrities when he said, ‘I know enough to know this is a genocide.’ Actually, you don’t know sh*t. It’s not a genocide, it’s a counter attack in a war,” he added.

In 2001, Maher – vocal critic of Islam and all organized religion – made similar remarks shortly after the attacks on Sept. 11 by saying that the terrorists could not be described as cowards as flying a plane into a building “is not cowardly.”

“We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly,” he said at the time.

Maher apologized for the initial remarks in 2001 and said the comments were not directed at the soldiers but at “the government, the elected officials, [and] the people who want to put up a giant missile shield, when plainly that’s not where the threat is from.”

His recent criticism of the Democratic party has also included saying that he would be open to voting for Vice President J.D. Vance in the 2028 presidential election amid a growing democratic socialist wing in the party.

Maher said that when Democrats are “cheering for the intifada, cut! I’m out,” referring to the Arabic word for “uprising” and commonly associated with Palestinian resistance against Israel’s government.

“They’re cowardly,” Maher said about the party.