Bill Maher tells DeSantis to “wait” until Trump is “dead … political” to run for president

Real Time host Bill Maher advised Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to avoid “fighting in the mud” with former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election cycle because he will reportedly be running for the White House.

“I personally think that would be a mistake for him,” Maher opened a panel discussion on Friday. “Because he’s 46, I think. Just let Trump die… politically, I mean. Or, you know, he’s older. It could happen. I don’t wish it, but ok. He would still only be 50.”

BILL MAHER RUPTS CHINESE SPY BALLOON RIOT: “WHO GIVES A S—?”

Real Time host Bill Maher (HBO)

Maher continued, “If DeSantis goes up against Trump, Trump will do to him what he does to everyone. Don’t just bleed him out, it’s going to be a fight in the mud — and all DeSantis has to do is wait, and he can be president. Normally I’d say the opposite – get in early before they tear you apart, but in this case with Trump, it changes everything.”

MAHER ACCUSES BIDEN OF ‘TRAGEDY PORN’ BECAUSE TIRE NICHOLS FAMILY HAS IN UNION STATE: ‘EXPLOITATIVE’

Conservatives rushed to Twitter to boost football on Tuesday as GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis was set to defeat Charlie Crist to secure another term as Florida’s chief executive. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

GOP pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson likened running against Trump to “running into a wood chipper,” but disagreed with Maher that DeSantis should wait and see, as this is his “moment.”

“You don’t always get your moment in American politics,” Soltis Anderson said.

“It’ll be his moment in four years anyway,” Maher replied.

Bill Maher admits Biden was “very dodgy” with documents but says his scandal was “different” from Trump’s

“In four years he won’t be Governor of Florida because he can’t be, he probably won’t be in the US Senate unless he left to challenge Rick Scott in some way. He’ll be kinda chilling, doing nothing,” Soltis Anderson pushed back. “So this is his moment. I think it would be foolish of him not to.”

“Nixon was nothing when it ran in 1968,” Maher doubled down.

Former President Donald Trump told Columbia Journalism Review he had to battle “incredibly fake stories” during his presidency. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, file)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

This marked a very different stance than Maher regarding the possible showdown between DeSantis and Trump.

Maher said in 2022 DeSantis had “more than one chance” of defeating Trump in a GOP primary. In November, he hailed DeSantis as “powerful” while declaring Trump a “loser.”

He also previously suggested DeSantis was a “much better” White House alternative to Trump, saying the Florida governor is not “provably insane.”