Bill Maher Attributes National Crime Drop Partly to Trump’s Tough-Guy Reputation

Comedian and talk show host Bill Maher said Friday on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” that President Trump’s tough public image deserves some of the credit for a nationwide decline in crime rates.

Maher called Trump a “f–k around and find out president,” arguing that the administration’s aggressive posture has had a real deterrent effect on criminal behavior.

“It’s just childish to pretend that when you elect a ‘f— around and find out’ president, a ‘no more Mr. Nice Guy-booting-your-ass-V-for-vendetta-kick-ass—and-take-names-say-hello-to-my-little-friend’ president, that’s not going to have some effect on crime,” Maher said, drawing laughs from his studio audience.

Maher did not credit toughness alone. He also pointed to the country’s expanding surveillance infrastructure as a factor in falling crime statistics.

“It’s not just drug crime that’s way down – it’s all crime. 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,” he said.

He then pivoted to give Democrats some credit too, saying expanded social safety net programs have reduced desperation-driven crime, while also expressing discomfort with some of the administration’s deportation practices — specifically the removal of people to countries where they have no ties.

“No, I don’t agree with many of his methods, like how they sometimes just deport people to countries where they have absolutely no connection – like Meghan and Harry. Is doing it this way the right thing? No,” Maher said.

According to figures cited in the commentary, more than 650,000 people in the country illegally have been deported under the Trump administration, and over a million more have left voluntarily. Enforcement priorities set in January 2025 directed authorities to focus first on individuals with criminal records.

Maher’s comments were notable given his position as a longtime liberal commentator willing to break from progressive orthodoxy when he believes the facts warrant it. He is not alone among Democrats in taking positions considered heterodox on the left; Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has similarly drawn attention for departing from some progressive positions.