It’s not every day you hear liberal comedian Bill Maher admit Donald Trump might have been right about something, but that’s exactly what happened on Friday’s episode of Real Time. During a candid discussion with former Los Angeles Democratic mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, the two agreed that Trump’s infamous comments about California’s wildfire crisis—yes, the ones about “raking”—weren’t entirely off base. For once, a point Trump made might actually have some merit, and it seems even some Democrats are willing to concede it.
Caruso, reflecting on the catastrophic fires that have wreaked havoc on California, didn’t mince words. He laid bare the predictable—and preventable—nature of the devastation. “To know there’s a fire coming, to know you’re in fire season,” Caruso said, “and to still fail to act? That’s borderline negligence.”
He pointed to longstanding issues, like aging vegetation that hadn’t been cleared and key reservoirs being out of service during peak fire season. For Caruso, it all boils down to a failure of leadership and common sense. “Running this city is running a business for the benefit of the residents,” he said. “Why wasn’t more done?”
Enter Bill Maher, who, as usual, wasn’t afraid to go where many liberals won’t. Maher brought up Trump’s much-maligned comments about California’s forest management, specifically his suggestion that better raking and clearing of forest floors could reduce wildfire risk.
At the time, Trump’s remarks were mocked mercilessly by the left, with late-night hosts and pundits dismissing his comments as simplistic and absurd. But on Friday, Maher offered a surprising pivot: “Is he wrong, usually? Yeah. But I’m not going to — just because Trump says it doesn’t mean it’s automatically wrong.”
Maher’s point wasn’t that Trump was a wildfire prevention genius but rather that the visceral rejection of everything he says can sometimes obscure legitimate critiques. The reality is that forest mismanagement has played a role in California’s fire crisis, alongside other factors like climate change, urban sprawl, and water mismanagement. Trump’s comments, while clumsy and perhaps overly simplified, touched on a real issue that’s been ignored or mishandled for decades.
Caruso backed Maher up, agreeing that Trump “did have a point about that.” While neither Maher nor Caruso endorsed Trump’s broader environmental policies, both were willing to acknowledge that California’s failure to address basic preventative measures has compounded the wildfire problem. Clearing vegetation, maintaining reservoirs, and preparing for predictable fire conditions are practical steps that should have been taken long before disaster struck.
This discussion underscores a broader problem: the reflexive dismissal of any idea or statement associated with Trump, even if it contains a kernel of truth. California’s leadership, primarily made up of Democrats, has long been resistant to any critique from Trump, framing him as an enemy of science and good governance. And while much of that criticism is warranted, the blind partisanship that defines today’s political landscape has only deepened the state’s inability to confront its mounting challenges effectively.
Maher’s acknowledgment that “just because Trump says it doesn’t mean it’s automatically wrong” is a rare moment of intellectual honesty in an era of hyper-polarized politics. It’s a reminder that meaningful solutions require looking past party lines and considering ideas on their merits—even if they come from unlikely or unpopular sources. Caruso’s blunt assessment—that California’s wildfire crisis stems from preventable failures—is a wake-up call for the state’s leadership to stop playing politics and start prioritizing practical, proactive solutions.
