Bill Maher Says Trump Is Acting Like a Socialist With Nvidia and Intel Deals

TV host and comedian Bill Maher made a surprising claim on his HBO show 'Real Time' last Friday. He said that President Donald Trump is acting more like a socialist than most Democrats. Maher pointed to deals where the federal government took ownership stakes in major companies like Intel and Nvidia. He argued that when the government owns pieces of private businesses, that looks a lot like socialism.

Maher brought up several examples to make his point. One was a deal where the U.S. government received a 9.9 percent ownership stake in Intel, the big computer chip company. Another was an agreement where the government would get 15 percent of Nvidia's profits from sales to China. He also mentioned a deal giving the government a 'golden share' in a steel company merger, meaning the government could outvote all other shareholders.

Maher even pointed out that Senator Bernie Sanders, a well-known supporter of socialist ideas, agreed with Trump's moves. Sanders is an independent senator from Vermont who often calls for more government control over big businesses. Maher said this agreement between two political opposites showed just how unusual the situation was. 'And you know this is socialism, I think, because Bernie Sanders agrees with it all,' Maher said.

This was not the only controversy surrounding Maher recently. He had also been criticized for having dinner with President Trump at the White House. Maher defended that decision by saying it is important to talk to the president because Trump listens to the people around him. He argued that meeting with Trump was a way to have influence, not a sign of support.

A journalist named Tara Palmeri also appeared on the show and raised another concern. She said the government had chosen to take control of about 30 different companies. She noted that Intel had been struggling before the government stepped in and that the federal investment helped the company's stock price go up. Palmeri also pointed out that after the government invested in Intel, Trump personally bought stocks in Nvidia, which then jumped in value by 200 percent.

Maher agreed with Palmeri's description of 'crony capitalism,' which means using political power to benefit certain businesses or individuals unfairly. Another guest, libertarian commentator Matt Welch, said that Trump's pressure on companies was unlike anything seen in modern times. Welch described a situation where Trump publicly suggested that Intel's CEO might be a spy, which forced the company to quickly set up a meeting at the White House. The panelists all agreed that the line between government and private business had been crossed in a major way.