Comedian and HBO host Bill Maher predicted on Friday that New York City’s mayor-elect — who identifies as a Democratic socialist — may be “the future of the party,” just not the party most people might think.
Maher argued that Mamdani, who ran for office and was elected as a Democrat, would likely promote policies that would ultimately do more to boost the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.
WATCH:
.@TheDemocrats must recognize that Zohran Mamdani is the party’s future, but unfortunately, it’s the Republican Party. pic.twitter.com/XTgr0YNULa
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) November 15, 2025
“New rule,” Maher began. “Democrats must recognize that Zohran Mamdani is the future of the party — unfortunately, it’s the Republican Party.”
There was a long pause then, followed by uncomfortable laughter.
“Get it?” Maher asked, and the laughs picked up volume. “And if you missed his victory speech in last week’s mayoral election in New York, don’t worry: you’ll see it in every attack ad for the next two years.”
Maher went on to say that he did not have any personal beef with the democratic socialist — but he wasn’t so keen on joining his party in its increasingly-rapid slide into the full-on embrace of socialism, and he didn’t see it succeeding in the United States.
“But before the whole left side of the country catches socialism fever, let’s listen to the other big winner in last Tuesday’s election, Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger — who, before the ’24 election, said things like, ‘If the party didn’t shift to the center, we will get f***ing torn apart,'” Maher continued. “And, ‘We need to never use the word socialist or socialism ever again.’ Well, she was right, but they didn’t listen. Typical. Am I right, ladies?”
Maher then pointed out that the younger generations felt like they’d been failed by capitalism. “They’re quiet-quitting capitalism and texting socialism that they’re ‘down to f***.’ The thing is, socialism will f*** you because socialism, to put it simply, just doesn’t work and has never worked. Like Kevin Federline.”
“I know the kids think that stuff that happened before their appearance on the planet didn’t really happen, but it did,” Maher added, referencing the failures and accompanying death toll of socialism. “We’ve run this experiment many times, and the results are always obvious.”
The results, he explained by citing Venezuela as an example, were almost always the same: wealthy, developed nations rapidly descending into chaos and widespread poverty.
“If you think New York can somehow reinvent this wheel, you’re in for a rude awokening,” he said. “Zohran can’t make your wishes come true. You’re thinking of Zoltar. Democratic socialism is like a dating profile: things look great until you meet up in the real world.”