"Real Time" host Bill Maher warned viewers on Friday that troops in the streets are "soon coming to a city near you" following President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
"In case you took the summer off from following the news — and who could blame you if you did — America is now a country where, first in L.A., then in Washington, D.C., and soon coming to a city near you, the new normal is troops in the streets," Maher said.
Last month, Trump activated about 800 members of the D.C. National Guard to help restore order in the nation’s capital, including cracking down on crime.
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Maher argued that Trump's deployment of the National Guard in cities like Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles sets a dangerous precedent. (Screenshot, "Real Time"/HBO)
The late-night host questioned why law enforcement officers weren’t insulted that Trump "thinks so little" of them that he sent in "military troops" to do their jobs in places like D.C. and Los Angeles. "Why doesn't that piss you off?" he asked.
Maher argued that deploying military troops to American cities is unprecedented outside of "true emergencies," adding that crime in Washington does not rise to that level.
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"Trump says, 'I'm not a dictator. I just know how to stop crime.' And I take him at his word because when has he ever told a lie?" he joked, suggesting that "page one of the dictator handbook" is a pretext, and that dictators will "find a pretext to do what you want to do anyway."
Maher suggested the "pretext" for Trump’s decision was the carjacking and assault of Department of Government Efficiency staffer Edward Coristine, also known as "Big Balls," in Washington last month.
While acknowledging crime in the capital is a problem, Maher pointed out that Republican-led cities with higher crime rates have not received National Guard deployments.
The late-night host noted that while Trump touts the 87% decrease in violent crime in D.C., citing Metropolitan Police data, there is a darker side to deploying troops to combat crime. He argued that although "military states can reduce crime," the creation of a military state is not "safer for democracy."
"Once it's normal to have an army loyal to you already in the streets, game over. That is how all future political disputes will be decided. Folks, it's not worth the trade-off," Maher warned.
Fox News' Brie Stimson contributed to this report.