The Republican National Convention finally came to a close Thursday night as Donald Trump took to the stage and delivered on of the longest nomination acceptance speeches in modern history. While the conservatives in the crowd ate it up, many on the political left offered up harsh criticism.
"Real Time" on Trump
When the billionaire real estate mogul decided to officially run for president over a year ago, not many people gave him a chance at success. Fast forward 13 months later, and Trump is now the GOP nominee, heading into the general election against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
These issues, and more, were discussed on the July 22 edition of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."
"Move over Jesus, there's a new savior in town!" - @billmaher on Donald Trump's messiah complex.
— Real Time (@RealTimers) July 23, 2016
On the third night of his extended convention-week coverage, liberal comedian and "Real Time" host Bill Maher opened his show as he normally does, delivering a monologue to his studio audience. Over the course of the next five minutes, Maher ripped into Trump from beginning to end, tearing apart his convention speech, piece by piece.
"Did you see Donald Trump’s speech?" Maher asked his audience. "If that had been any darker it would have been shot by the police," Maher said, in reference to the negative tone Trump set throughout his speech.
"He used the word 'violence' a dozen times, the word 'murder' a half-dozen times," Maher pointed out, before humorously commenting, "And that was just the part about Ted Cruz."
Maher recapped Trump's speech with even more humor, picking apart how the former host of "The Apprentice" has falsely described the United States as a crime-filled haven for murdering Islamic terrorists and illegal immigration, while blaming all of the problems on Hillary Clinton and her emails.
Maher then closed out his show with his segment titled "New Rules." Maher focused on Trump's vision of America, accusing him of being a "1950s guy," who is a bigot, a racist, and a sexist, and who was pleased with having the system rigged in his favor.
Election outlook
Maher's criticism highlights the current divide in the United States.
The rise of Trump has put fear into the hearts of many Americans, while others can't wait to celebrate his possible election. The race for the White House is currently tight according to recent polls, with the former Secretary of State leading by just under five points nationally. Where Clinton has a solid advantage is with minority voters, as women and Hispanics hold strong unfavorable views of Trump, with polls showing the negative numbers as high as 70 percent.
