Matt Gaetz | Club Random with Bill Maher

Summary

Podcast Summary: Club Random with Bill Maher
Episode: Matt Gaetz | Released on January 26, 2025

In this engaging episode of Club Random with Bill Maher, host Bill Maher sits down for an intense and candid conversation with former Congressman Matt Gaetz. Recorded at the enigmatic Club Random, the hour-long discussion delves deep into a variety of topics ranging from animal rights and media influence to political strategies and the evolving economic landscape. Below is a detailed summary of the key points, insights, and conclusions drawn from their conversation.

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1. Animal Rights and Large-Scale Farming Practices ([02:00] - [03:12])

The conversation kicks off with Maher expressing surprise at Gaetz’s endorsement by both the Humane Society and the NRA—a rare bipartisan support. This leads to a discussion about the ethical implications of large-scale farming.

• Bill Maher criticizes the environmental and ethical costs of intensive farming:

  “Farming actually kills a lot of animals. To plow a field, you got to kill everything in that field.” ([02:03])

• Matt Gaetz highlights the environmental destruction caused by industries like palm oil production:

  “It's just decimate you and I will live to see the last orangutan die.” ([03:12])

2. Comparing Club Random and Politically Incorrect ([03:40] - [05:45])

Gaetz shares his appreciation for Maher's earlier show, Politically Incorrect, sparking a debate on the evolution of Maher's current show versus his past work.

• Matt Gaetz praises Politically Incorrect:

  “Politically Incorrect was so good. It's way better than your show now.” ([03:50])

• Bill Maher responds defensively, emphasizing the intellectual rigor of his current show:

  “Real Time we have actually intellectual people and people who are experts in talking about the subjects.” ([04:19])

3. Media Influence and Attention Spans ([05:45] - [07:07])

The duo explores how modern media consumption habits are shifting, affecting both content creation and audience engagement.

• Matt Gaetz observes the fragmentation of media formats:

  “It's either short or long. And the middle is losing.” ([06:30])

• Bill Maher reflects on the paradox of podcast lengths and audience preferences:

  “It seems to be either 8 seconds or 2 hours.” ([06:03])

4. Gaetz’s Exit from Congress and Campaign Financing ([07:07] - [09:24])

Gaetz discusses his decision to leave Congress and his unique approach to campaign financing without relying on lobbyist or PAC money.

• Matt Gaetz explains his fundraising strategy:

  “If I had like over 100,000 active donors throughout the country, I think my average donation was around 88 bucks.” ([09:24])

• Bill Maher questions how Gaetz managed his campaigns without traditional funding:

  “How did you get away with that?” ([08:03])

5. Territorial Annexation: Greenland and Panama Canal ([10:08] - [14:22])

A heated debate ensues over the possibility of the U.S. annexing territories like Greenland and regions around the Panama Canal.

• Bill Maher expresses skepticism about annexation:

  “Isn't it their choice? ... An invasion is not a real estate transaction.” ([10:08] - [11:22])

• Matt Gaetz suggests annexation through mutual agreement:

  “We could buy it.” ([11:22])

6. Political Media Fairness and Justice Department ([14:22] - [20:09])

The discussion turns to media bias, the role of the Justice Department, and allegations of partisanship within federal institutions.

• Bill Maher criticizes media portrayals and prosecutorial actions:

  “They were signing FISA renewals when they knew that Steele was relying on people who were Russian intelligence people.” ([45:07])

• Matt Gaetz contends that investigations were politically motivated:

  “These were people with an ax to grind against me.” ([35:15])

7. The "Loneliness Economy" and OnlyFans ([24:44] - [58:31])

Maher introduces the concept of the "loneliness economy," exploring how platforms like OnlyFans cater to emotional and physical needs in an increasingly isolated society.

• Bill Maher critiques the superficiality of OnlyFans:

  “It's women showing their vag to men who are masturbating.” ([56:08])

• Matt Gaetz expands on the underlying issue of loneliness driving economic behaviors:

  “I think that we are in a true epidemic of loneliness.” ([27:47])

8. Personal Experiences and Anecdotes ([58:31] - [65:06])

Both hosts share personal stories related to relationships, social interactions, and experiences in politics, offering a more intimate glimpse into their lives.

• Bill Maher recounts his challenges with relationships during his youth:

  “I had one girlfriend in high school, and when she dumped me, it was like the worst thing that still in my life ever happened.” ([59:03])

• Matt Gaetz discusses his association with Joel Greenberg and the implications of personal relationships in politics:

  “I serve with a lot of congressmen and women who live perfect family lives... and there are people who are flawed and irreverent...” ([61:32])

9. Defamation Claims and Media Misrepresentation ([34:32] - [47:01])

Gaetz vehemently defends himself against allegations reported in the media, particularly concerning his relationships and online activities.

• Matt Gaetz refutes claims about his presence on Seeking Arrangements:

  “Seeking Arrangements themselves are saying this is false.” ([32:42])

• Bill Maher questions the reliability of media reports:

  “The media is... cherry pick both sides.” ([34:07])

10. Concluding Remarks and Future Collaborations ([69:00] - [69:40])

As the interview wraps up, Gaetz and Maher discuss potential future collaborations and reflect on the nature of their conversation.

• Matt Gaetz invites Maher to join his podcast:

  “I got a podcast coming up and would love to have you, bro.” ([69:11])

• Bill Maher expresses appreciation for the conversation:

  “It really has. Yeah, it's been a pleasure.” ([69:06])

---

Key Takeaways

• Bipartisan Support and Ethical Stances: Gaetz's unique endorsements highlight the complexity of political alliances and personal ethics.

• Media's Role in Shaping Perceptions: Both hosts agree that media often fails to present balanced narratives, influencing public opinion and political discourse.

• Evolving Economic Landscapes: The rise of the "loneliness economy" and platforms like OnlyFans reflect societal shifts towards virtual and transactional relationships.

• Challenges in Modern Politics: Gaetz underscores issues like partisanship within federal institutions and the impact of campaign financing on political integrity.

Notable Quotes

• Bill Maher on Farming Ethics:

  “Farming actually kills a lot of animals. To plow a field, you got to kill everything in that field.” ([02:03])

• Matt Gaetz on Media Bias:

  “These were people with an ax to grind against me.” ([35:15])

• Bill Maher on Attention Spans:

  “It seems to be either 8 seconds or 2 hours.” ([06:03])

• Matt Gaetz on Loneliness Economy:

  “I think that we are in a true epidemic of loneliness.” ([27:47])

• Bill Maher on Media's Cherry-Picking:

  “The media is... cherry pick both sides.” ([34:07])

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This episode offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the intersection of politics, media, and societal trends, all through the lens of a spirited dialogue between Bill Maher and Matt Gaetz. Their exchange not only sheds light on personal perspectives but also invites listeners to reflect on broader issues affecting contemporary society.

Transcript

[Bill Maher]

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[Matt Gaetz]

Did you think I was not bright?

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Matt Gaetz]

And what gave you that impression?

[Bill Maher]

Like everything you've said and done.

[Matt Gaetz]

Club Random. Anybody who can't point out where their side is wrong is just a vessel through which others operate.

[Bill Maher]

Where is your side most wrong?

[Matt Gaetz]

Club Random. You know, I'm like one step away from PETA membership.

[Bill Maher]

I'm a total ambiver board member for many years.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

So. Really?

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, that was like the only.

[Bill Maher]

There's an interesting thing about you. I didn't know you're an animal lover.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, I think I was the only member of Congress when I first ran. Endorsed by the Humane Society and the nra. That's usually not a group. That usually isn't a coalition that teams up frequently.

[Bill Maher]

Well, I mean, you can be. You can be for gun ownership without wanting to murder animals with it. And also, you know, look, I talked a lot to people who hunt and shit, and, you know, they convinced me, like, I was a little naive about some of that stuff. First of all, farming actually kills a lot of animals. To plow a field, you got to kill everything in that field. Every mouse, every vole, every chipmunk, everything that lives there has gotta go. So you can till that soil. And also, like when we go to the supermarket and you're buying chopped meat. I mean, like, somebody killed it.

[Matt Gaetz]

And sometimes. Well, I just learned, sometimes you'll go there and get like a pack of hamburgers meat. And it came from, like 30 different cows. It didn't come off, of course. One animal.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. Pink slime.

[Matt Gaetz]

The. The one that gets me when it comes to that. That scale of farming is what they're doing with the palm oil in Indonesia, in South Asia, where it is just decimate you and I will live to see the last orangutan die. The thing that is most like humans on the entire planet Earth will be extinct because of palm oil. As if that's some great need.

[Bill Maher]

No, it's not. It's not even good for you.

[Matt Gaetz]

No. Are you. Are you here? So I like. Our origin story for me goes back to Politically Incorrect, what I still believe is one of the. I'm not just kissing your ass. One of the best shows that was on tv.

[Bill Maher]

Thanks.

[Matt Gaetz]

It's way better than your show now. But it's.

[Bill Maher]

What?

[Matt Gaetz]

Politically Incorrect.

[Bill Maher]

So insulting.

[Matt Gaetz]

Politically Incorrect was so good.

[Bill Maher]

That's so insulting.

[Matt Gaetz]

It's not. I'm just for the OG.

[Bill Maher]

You're saying to me what I did 25 years ago is better than what I've done the last 20 years. That's insulting. I'm not gonna be mad at you for the rest of the interview. I just want to tell you that's just a fucking stupid way to start a conversation. You peaked 20 years ago, Bill. Let's be friends.

[Matt Gaetz]

No, it's not.

[Bill Maher]

That's what you just said.

[Matt Gaetz]

It's a better artistic presentation of your work.

[Bill Maher]

Well, first of all, you're wrong. You could say to me, I like that show too, but it's certainly not better than Real Time. It just isn't. It was what it was. It was a design train wreck. People from different walks of life. Maybe you were young, it appealed to you more. Then what don't you like about the current show?

[Matt Gaetz]

I think it's good. It's not a criticism of the current show. Look, I like, you know, Taylor Swift's current stuff. I don't think it's better than her initial album.

[Bill Maher]

Well, don't compare me to Taylor Swift. I'm not a big fan.

[Matt Gaetz]

No, but in terms of artists, you can have better presentations of your art.

[Bill Maher]

So what? But I mean, you know, real time we have on actually intellectual people and people who are expert in talking about the subjects. We're talking about Politically Incorrect. We had you know, Carrot Top and Pauly Shore on.

[Matt Gaetz]

No, but what I liked about it is that you would inter. You would interface those folks with lawmakers, with art, with authors, people like that. And you do that on real time as well.

[Bill Maher]

No, I. But not Pauly Shore. You have to be knowledgeable of what we're talking. It's a much more adult show. You know, again, I invented it, sweetheart. So, you know, I love Politically Incorrect. The sign is right behind you. But it's not better than what I do now. I mean, the game went up, it didn't go down. But you know, everybody's like, do you.

[Matt Gaetz]

Think part of that is attention span is so fleeting now? Like when we would create content in my congressional office, like the young staffers would come in and say, if it's above like 8 seconds, you're losing audience at such a rapid pace.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, it's so interesting that we're doing a podcast which if you do just an hour, the audience thinks that's too short. I, I get what you're saying. I've asked this question many times. I don't get the attention span in the American public. It seems to be either 8 seconds or 2 hours. They want podcasts to be long. When I just did an hour, there was, it was always screaming at me, no, more, more, more. What do you make of that?

[Matt Gaetz]

I look at what happened in the sports space with where ESPN has to go and fire all of these expensive on air talents in order to go put Pat McAfee on streaming multiple hours a day in service of that long form audience. But then again, like the real, the way that Instagram is driven now by, by the reels or the, you know, whatever it is, their stories. And then YouTube has their short form content. Yeah. I guess it's either short or long. And the middle is losing.

[Bill Maher]

So are you happy to be free of Congress and all this kind of stuff? Well, I don't think you seem very relaxed.

[Matt Gaetz]

As relaxed as one can be under these conditions. I think that Congress is supposed to be temporary. I mean, I'd done it for eight years. I'd been in elected office six years before that in the state legislature. So from age 26 to 42, I was an elected official. And I think that should be a season of life. I don't think it should be your whole life.

[Bill Maher]

But I mean, like the things that people talk about when they get out of Congress, that they are so happy that they don't have to do any more, like fundraising and that stuff.

[Matt Gaetz]

I never did that Anyway, I mean, I am the only Republican, I was the only Republican in Congress who took no lobbyist money, no PAC money. And I decided I would rather sink or swim on my own than be a valet for those people.

[Bill Maher]

Well, how did you get away with that? I mean, how did you then get the money to run your elections? Because why did they all. Why does everybody else do it?

[Matt Gaetz]

Before Donald Trump, there was no small dollar infrastructure on the Republican side. Obama had created that. He used the Chicago ward style system, put it on the Internet, scaled it to the moon, and there was.

[Bill Maher]

Go back, I don't know what you're talking about. What's the Chicago ward style?

[Matt Gaetz]

Democrats invested in the Internet before Republicans, politically speaking. And so they did this list building. Traditionally, that list building. Your ward boss would know, this person needs a little help with groceries. This person's son needs a job. This person cares about issue X or the park, whatever. And that was managed very locally. What Obama understood is that you could digitize that and scale it to the moon. David Plouffe wrote a great book about, one of the best books on politics, Audacity to win.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. In 2008, they definitely had the technological advantage. It took us.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, it took us until 2016 to really catch up because the Internet was the only thing that could harness all of this interest in politics that Trump was generating among low propensity voters. And I rode that way. If I had like over 100,000 active donors throughout the country, I think my average donation was around 88 bucks.

[Bill Maher]

But also, you do. I mean, look, again, I'm glad we're meeting and talking because I feel like I already know you better than what I've known for the whole time I've been, you know, seeing you just on TV and in the news, because I don't trust anything in the news. So. So, I mean, that's. That's kind of interesting right there. But, okay, first of all, were your parents. Where do you get your politics? Like, is it from your parents? Yeah. Were they Republicans?

[Matt Gaetz]

My mother was a Southern Democrat who voted Democrat her whole life until Jimmy Carter gave away the Panama Canal. And then for some reason, that was the issue that turned my mother into a Republican.

[Bill Maher]

She must be thrilled that your boy's going to take it back.

[Matt Gaetz]

She can't wait. She's real pumped about the Mount McKinley change as well, because she.

[Bill Maher]

What do you think about that? What do you think about us becoming an empire again and just annexing places? You know, I did not see that coming. And when I say I did not see that coming. I'm going to spell it for you. I D, I D N A Z. I. I did not see that coming. Because we really shouldn't be annexing, should we? Annex? Annexing. I mean, doesn't Greenland have to actually sell it to us if they wanted to? Isn't it their choice?

[Matt Gaetz]

I care a lot more about whether or not we're going to annex features of the Panama Canal or Greenland than, you know, whether or not Russia annexes Crimea. Like, look, I think that you can.

[Bill Maher]

What are you for it?

[Matt Gaetz]

Huh? Annexing Greenland and parts of the Panama Canal? Sure, if it's a deal. That makes sense.

[Bill Maher]

But we don't own them.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, so you're saying it's a real estate transaction.

[Bill Maher]

It's not. An invasion. Is not a real estate transaction.

[Matt Gaetz]

You don't say anything about an invasion.

[Bill Maher]

Well, how else do you take something.

[Matt Gaetz]

A real estate transaction?

[Bill Maher]

So they would have to agree to it?

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, we could buy it.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, that's different than annexing.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, but I say.

[Bill Maher]

But you. So you would agree that Denmark has to agree to it. We're not just going to take it.

[Matt Gaetz]

The people of Greenland, I think, would be the most dispositive voice.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, so we can go over the head of the government. What about. Can we do that here? If some other foreign country came and asked the people of this country, do you want free blow jobs? We could just do that.

[Matt Gaetz]

It would be a compelling offer. More.

[Bill Maher]

Compelling inside. Heard about it.

[Matt Gaetz]

Would be more compelling than what a lot of people feel like they're getting from the government.

[Bill Maher]

Now, I don't know what you've heard about me. I don't know what you heard about me. Remember that one? But a bitch can't get a dollar out of me. Well, that doesn't apply to you. Sorry, I didn't mean to go. I didn't mean to go there. I just sang this song and thought.

[Matt Gaetz]

Way less than Skip Bayl, I would suggest.

[Bill Maher]

What? Oh boy, I saw that.

[Matt Gaetz]

1.5 million.

[Bill Maher]

It's so typical though, isn't it? Guys who are certainly of a certain age, but they can be young who are just so desperate for any. Usually they're married. I'm not knocking marriage, but you know, and it's just been so long since I'd have any sort of affection or anyone touching them or laughing at their jokes that they make such fools of themselves with. They just want something from someone of the opposite sex that makes them feel alive again.

[Matt Gaetz]

You're so right. And what is so. I think undertold in the sugar daddy, sugar baby dynamic that we see play out pretty regularly across society now is like, who's taking advantage of who? Because what you just described, a lot of these guys that fit that archetype, they get in to some young pussy that they. That they hadn't been in before, and they will do anything. They'll give up their family, their house, their. Their money. It is so like. Oh, wait, are you saying that they're the person utilizing leverage in the power dynamic more than someone who quite literally has them by the balls?

[Bill Maher]

Well, when you put it that way, Congressman. I mean, former Congressman.

[Matt Gaetz]

Don't demote me.

[Bill Maher]

I won't, but. Okay, so, like, I brought my book. In this book you'll love. I think maybe not as much as my old one, since that's your pattern, but I want to read you. This is a chapter on this subject that we're talking about. It's very apropos for what you went through, and I just. Because it does get into economic issues. And also, I've never done this on this show, but I want to get the quotes right. I have quotes from people. And, yeah, I've never, never brought anything on like this.

[Matt Gaetz]

But I didn't know you were allowed to, like, bring homework and do it.

[Bill Maher]

I'd never have done it, but you're a little different. I got to get this right. It's for your benefit as much as anybody, and it's not against you. I'm. I'm an honest broker more than anything else. Okay, so. And that's why the left hates me, too. The far left really hates me. And I welcome their hatred because it be. Because I just will not carry the water. Why do you think of all their insanity or yours?

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, and by the way, no one's.

[Bill Maher]

Annexing Greenland or buying it. Buying it is different. See, again, let's just be honest. Come on. We're just guys talking here. Those are two different things. Just look me in the eye and tell me you understand that they're two different things. Buying something that they agree to sell to us or just taking from another country. That's what Hitler did, and that's Putin. We're not. I know you guys like to be, like, flirting with authoritarianism, but. What. Let me ask you that question. You're a married man now, right?

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, so. And your wife is lovely. Thank you. You did well. And okay, so sometimes in a marriage, the couple. I've heard both sides. I've heard couples say, yeah, I'm a big flirt, but it's okay. Because he knows I'll never cross the line. But so that's just okay in the matter. That's like they've decided that's okay to flirt or the guy does it then. I've heard some marriages where it's like, no, that is crossing the line. Okay, I bring this up because you guys are really flirting with authoritarianism. You know what I mean? He admires like, we didn't try to.

[Matt Gaetz]

Throw our political prisoners in jail. We talked about it, but we didn't actually try.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, you did try.

[Matt Gaetz]

We never indicted Hillary. We never indicted our enemies.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, because they blocked it.

[Matt Gaetz]

But you actually blocked it.

[Bill Maher]

The Justice Department. There were actually some people there at the beginning who were a little more fair minded. It's not going to be that way in the second term. Although that's the job you were up for.

[Matt Gaetz]

I was. And honestly, I was.

[Bill Maher]

If you had been there in 2016, would you have indicted Hillary?

[Matt Gaetz]

Only if that's what the facts in the law commanded. I wouldn't have done it as some, as some get back politically. Because, look, that doesn't end. And what I understand is if you do that to them and they do that to us, then you don't ever get out of the cycle. And as someone who has held some power, it's a pretty frightening concept that when you get out, the people who take power then can utilize the apparatus of the state to deprive you of your freedom.

[Bill Maher]

But of course, you went right to whataboutism. You didn't really answer what I.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, I reject the premise that we flirt with authoritarianism.

[Bill Maher]

Come on, man, Seriously. Using every possible lever to stay in office after he lost the election, Plainly just always being friends with Putin. He likes him, he likes Viktor Orban. Always like pining to be with Team Strongman and not really being that, not really that, you know, into our allies. You don't think that's flirting with authoritarianism? And if you flirt with it, he also makes jokes about, you know, maybe after this term, if it's so good, we should have another one, which would be, again, an abrogation of the basic tenets of the Constitution. Two terms, you know, that's flirting. That's flirting. To even make a joke about it is flirting with authoritism. My question, like in a marriage, can you just flirt, not cross the line? Of course most don't, but okay, I'm telling you, most guys, if they flirt, what they're doing is they're seeing if the girl flirts back. If she doesn't I was just flirting. If she does. Yeah, I'll her.

[Matt Gaetz]

So you flirtation only goes as far as your options at that moment.

[Bill Maher]

Eggs. Well put.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

For a man.

[Matt Gaetz]

For a. Well, yeah, it might be different for women, but I. I think that in Trump's case, he looks at four years of a pretty peaceful world. You have to concede that. And when I got elected, the places where I would come in some conflict with Trump would be where he would seek powers of war that I thought were reposed in the Congress. And now, and I had all these Democrats really eager to work with me. No, no war with Iran. We should stop Trump from having that power. But then as soon as Biden is cheerleading this war in Ukraine, all the anti war Democrats became pro war. There are no anti war Democrats left.

[Bill Maher]

That's an interesting point. It's off the point we're talking about a little bit. It's a good.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, I mean, if you're talking about.

[Bill Maher]

You haven't lost all your skills as the congressman. Come on, man.

[Matt Gaetz]

If you're talking about the use of force to achieve your political goals, I think it's somewhat on topic.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. It's not like the left doesn't do a version. I mean, they should not have been bitching about. Trump is not a legitimate president. He's an ill. That was wrong. I agree. It's very different than actually trying to stay in power. We just had January 6th. It went off smoothly, without a hitch. Places, everyone. Places. Okay. The rehearsal went great, and now we do it and we go home. That's not what have happened. If you guys had lost and you know that Bill, you understand that. Isn't that a.

[Matt Gaetz]

Okay, let me address it. The last. You're right. This. This past week, we had a wonderful. January 6th, the last time we had a Republican president elected and Democrats did not object to the electors. Do you know when the last time that was?

[Bill Maher]

See, this is the kind of bullshit.

[Matt Gaetz]

No, no, look, it was 1988. It was 1988. The last time they didn't object to Republic, they objected to George W. Bush winning Ohio.

[Bill Maher]

Objection. Is different than calling the Justice Department and pressuring them to do things that even his own Justice Department wouldn't do. It's different than calling the guy in Georgia and saying, fine me 11,000 votes. It's different than going to court with all these ridiculous cases that were laughed out of every courtroom. It's actually sending fake electors. Don't give me bullshit and we'll be friends. Bullshit me. No, we'll still be friends. But I, I, but I'll think you're a hack instead of someone who could actually have an honest conversation and admit this asymmetry exists.

[Matt Gaetz]

I don't believe it's asymmetrical at all. When you look at the way the Democratic Party used like an authoritarian bum rush to get Joe Biden out of the race and replace him with, with Harris. Well, was it, was that, was that the greatest, you know, sacrifice to the virtue of democracy and the great rejection of authoritarianism was swapping her out for him like it's some Mississippi square dance?

[Bill Maher]

I'm just going to end this part of our discussion by saying, you know, I think you're just looking in your eye. Talking to you, not the media guy. I saw. You're a lot brighter than I thought you were.

[Matt Gaetz]

Did you think I was not bright?

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Matt Gaetz]

And what gave you that impression?

[Bill Maher]

Like everything you've said and done? No. And also because the media is. But I just never, like, talk to. I could say, by the way, this is only a semi compliment because what I'm saying is I think you're absolutely bright enough to know what I'm talking about. I understand why you have to carry the water for the other side because you are, you know, your career is just beginning. Trump loves you. That's a good thing in this day and age. And so I get it. I get what you can and cannot say. And we can put that aside. Let's get back to horror.

[Matt Gaetz]

Pardon me.

[Bill Maher]

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[Matt Gaetz]

I didn't even know we were wrong.

[Bill Maher]

No, because I'm sympathetic.

[Matt Gaetz]

Are we talking about Congress or the other?

[Bill Maher]

I want to read this just because this really gets to the part about this was really about economics because it's an essay. We did it on the show. The one that you don't think is so great, but it's actually way better.

[Matt Gaetz]

Just because I said the first show was better does not mean I said.

[Bill Maher]

The second show wasn't great. I'm acting like a wife. You are.

[Matt Gaetz]

You are such a whiny bitch sometimes.

[Bill Maher]

I'm usually not. You just get a nerve. But you're right. I'm acting like a wife who will not let it go. And what about the remote, Matt? You never let me have the remote.

[Matt Gaetz]

And you say, you don't understand.

[Bill Maher]

I'm going to my mother's marriage. All right, so this is about. It's about the gig economy. You know, the economy where they also call it the remote economy. Okay, so you can call it remote work, but what's really remote is any chance of getting health insurance. What are Uber and Lyft but Americanized rickshaws? It's not like it's. It's what anyone wants to do. No one ever had a friend throw up in the backseat and said, gosh, I hope someday I get to make a career out of this. And then there's only fans, which in 2021, swelled from 12 million to 85 million users. And if you're a little behind, you don't know what OnlyFans is. Don't worry. It's the side hustle your daughter is using to pay off her college debt. It's just a platform where you can share recipes or maybe your poetry. Yeah, you can do that on OnlyFans, but no one does. It's women showing their vag this to men who are masturbating. That's what we have, a kind of a masturbation economy. And that's my question is women have become so cynical about men and the economy is so bad for them that so much of this economy revolves around horny guys and women who are. I don't think they really want to be on OnlyFans doing that. Would you? No. But that's sort of where our economy has sent young women who, combined with the fact that they're, for very good reason, so cynical about men that their idea is kind of, look, men are shit. So I'm going to get paid a little bit to begin with. That's only fair. Now, here's the crux of it. To me, prostitution is a term we apply across the way. It doesn't just apply to sexual. You can prostitute yourself in business, in politics, anything. It means doing something you hate for money. That's what it means. It didn't sound to me like the women you were with hated it, just put it that way.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, I think there's a difference between sex for money and sex and money. And if you start to blur that line, we're gonna need a lot more fucking prisons in this country.

[Bill Maher]

Right.

[Matt Gaetz]

But I Wanna make a point about what you just read that. Because I think there's something that supersedes the horniness economy. And I'm being serious about this. And it's the loneliness economy.

[Bill Maher]

Yes.

[Matt Gaetz]

I think that we are in a true epidemic of loneliness.

[Bill Maher]

But they go together horny and lone.

[Matt Gaetz]

But I think one is actually more powerful. And it's not. It's not the horny.

[Bill Maher]

Incorrect. There are many guys who just want the prostitute to talk to them. Or the stripper. Yeah.

[Matt Gaetz]

So I have a friend who. She's a female creator on OnlyFans. And we were having lunch and I was inquiring as to, like, what. What it's like, like, what are these superficial relationships? And she described having multiple AI chatbots running at all times just to, like, interact with these people over text. And that was as economically productive as some of the on camera activities. And I was amazed by that. And she ascribed it to the deep loneliness that these schmucks are feeling and the fact that it created that connection.

[Bill Maher]

Don't call them schmucks. They're out there down on their luck. Enough. Don't you have some sympathy?

[Matt Gaetz]

I think that we wallow in your own expressions of sympathy. And so I'm just on the other side of it.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, you know what? You're right. Incels is what you've heard that term. It stands for involuntarily celibate, which what I used to just call I can't get laid. But my strategy wasn't to, like, join a club with other fucking losers who can't get laid. My strategy, like in college, when I never got laid, was to masturbate and plot. Plot how I could get laid.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, but that would have to be before the masturbation, because afterwards the brain cells wouldn't be all that vibrant.

[Bill Maher]

I was a. You know what my strategy was?

[Matt Gaetz]

Go hang out with your friends who are out getting laid. Right. And then there's gonna be somebody in the group that doesn't end up with one. Then, you know, you could be that second option.

[Bill Maher]

So people want to know two basic things. Okay. One, was he ever with an underage girl? No. Okay, I know you said that. And if. If the Justice Department had any evidence, and again, there are people who are going to attack me. What are you doing? You know, defend. I'm not defending Matt Gaetz. I'm telling the truth as to what it is. And if you don't want to hear the truth, you're the hack. The Justice Department. This was Biden's Justice Department declined. I can't believe Biden's Justice Department wouldn't have wanted to get you if there was something. So the fact that they said we got nothing tells me something. That they had nothing. Now, I don't know what anybody does behind closed doors. There's lots of scandals about lots of people, but I gotta go with what? So no criminal. So I put that aside. Okay, okay. Second thing they want to know is what was what he was doing considered prostitution? So that's what we're talking about now. And I couldn't agree with you More like the Beverly Hills housewife who really hates her husband now, but sticks around and fucks him a few times a year because she doesn't want to give up the big house. To me, that's much more prostitution. That is textbook. Doing something you hate just for the money. Same thing if he stays with her for the same reason because he can't afford to get divorced, that's prostitution. But, okay, I wrote down the quote. There is this. Okay, well, first you said giving someone money you're dating that they didn't ask for, that's prostitution. Now, so, yeah, okay, that's your exact quote. But there's this in a text. I guess this is from your girlfriend at the time, talking about you and your wingman. The guys are a little short this week. If it can be more of a Customer appreciation week. Matt. Now, were there coupons involved? I just have to ask the tough questions. Were there coupons?

[Matt Gaetz]

Bill, this is a text message I neither sent nor received. Another person is sending this message, presumably about me, to tell other women that they shouldn't ask for money. It sounds like the person who sent that message really wanted to be the great recipient of any generosity and didn't want her friends to also be the recipient of that generosity. You're telling me that makes me some sort of criminal? I didn't send this message. I didn't receive this message. I'm referenced in it because one woman is telling other women, hey, there's no generosity for you.

[Bill Maher]

So the phrase Customer Appreciation Week, you never knew that before you saw it in this text? Okay, what about this one? Add to cart. No, I'm joking. It does not. It does not say that Drive by. There's something about something was just a drive by. What's a drive by?

[Matt Gaetz]

Was that a message I sent?

[Bill Maher]

I don't know. I was stoned when I wrote this. Okay, but there was also. They said you met women on Seeking Arrangements. No, actually, sugar dating.

[Matt Gaetz]

I have never had a Dating profile on any website, on any dating app. When this came out, why does it.

[Bill Maher]

Say that it's false story?

[Matt Gaetz]

And by the way, the reason I can tell you it's false is when the media was reporting that I was meeting women on Seeking Arrangements, no less than Seeking Arrangements came out with a statement that said, Matt Gaetz has never been on our site. He's never had a profile here. He has never met any women on our site. So if Seeking Arrangements themselves are saying this is false, I have to combat these things in the media that are not true. And nobody loses their reporter license for saying stuff that's false. It's just the information ecosystem.

[Bill Maher]

Well, here's what I'm going to say to that one. I never read that in the stories about you you just told me. Wait. Which absolutely could be because they left it out because they do it all the time. It's one of my biggest complaints about the media is that I never, you know, you say you're not lying. Well, you know what? You can also lie by omission. You cherry pick both sides. Do it. You. I have to read both sides to feel like I have any knowledge of anything. And that just sucks. Except for my show, which is always even handed. Okay, so I didn't know that. So that's either because the media lied to me or somebody on the Internet. If they're going to say that this contradictory inference, you're going to look bad. But I assume you wouldn't say that.

[Matt Gaetz]

I'm willing to live by those terms.

[Bill Maher]

It couldn't be backed up. Okay. Also, this is in your defense. This is another thing from an article again in I think the Washington Post. The committee found two women, 27 and 25, who did not consider the relationships transactual. So that's a direct quote. Again, hacks. I'm just reading what I read. Did you read that one?

[Matt Gaetz]

I did, I did. Sounded scandalous. Me dating a 25 year old woman and a 27 year old woman and having a non transactional relationship.

[Bill Maher]

Look who you're talking to. You don't know the half of it. Okay, so the other. This is an interesting quote. The committee, this is the ethics committee, okay. Typically refrains from releasing the findings after a member's resignation. I did not know that until I read it in the article. The committee typically refrains from releasing the findings if you've quit already. So why did they make an exception for you? What is your. What is your. You must have bitterness about that.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, I don't actually, because I know In Washington.

[Bill Maher]

I just admit that.

[Matt Gaetz]

No, everything goes out in Washington anyway. If you think that this document wasn't going to be released in one form or the other, then you don't understand how the leak ecosystem works in that place every. Yeah, sure. Everything leaks. So other people were more worked up about that than I was. To be honest, I have a lot of enemies on the Republican side, more so than most Republican members, because I killed the golden goose. Kevin McCarthy raised a billion dollars in special interest money and distributed that among a couple hundred Republicans. That makes you a lot of fucking friends. And the Ethics Committee is one of only three committees in the whole Congress that the speaker appoints directly. It doesn't go through the steering committee process. Ethics Rules and Intelligence. And so everybody on the Ethics committee were Kevin McCarthy's asshole buddies. One of whom who voted to release it. The Republicans was donating to my primary opponent. So I wasn't exactly being judged by some non biased arbiter. These were people with an ax to grind against me.

[Bill Maher]

Well, yeah, that's life. Yeah. I mean, it's hard to like Kevin McCarthy. I really want to defend that guy. I mean, I always thought he was a huge asshole and not that bright.

[Matt Gaetz]

Did you? You thought? See, because I actually always found him to be a gregarious person.

[Bill Maher]

I don't know. If I was here talking to me, I'd have a different opinion.

[Matt Gaetz]

I thought you'd like him.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, but I. Okay. But I feel like he's much more of a square than you are.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, that would, that would encompass a lot of people, I think. You know, but where you get me wrong, man? Where I took exception with your. And I was always a huge fan of yours because when I got to like, you used to always have Joe Scarborough on and Joe Scarborough was my congressman. Yeah, yeah, I was a huge Joe Scarborough fan. We were really close even when I was like 12, 14 years old. And so I would be able to stay up late at night and watch like content that otherwise would have been deemed too irreverent for me because Joe Scarborough was on.

[Bill Maher]

Sure.

[Matt Gaetz]

And then that created a permission structure for me to continue to watch your show because. Oh well, Joe has been on that show. It can't be too bad for me to watch. So he. Yeah, was, was our guy for a long time.

[Bill Maher]

I still like him. I mean, you guys went apeshit when he like went to Mar A Lago like two days after you.

[Matt Gaetz]

I think that's great, by the way.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, of course you do. Because he's look, I mean, The. The criticism was, was that he was kissing the ring. I think two days after the election was a little early. It did give that signal, like, give it a week, you know, Joe. Okay, but I like Joe. You know, my problem with people who, like, take media jobs is that, you know, they start out very often on msnbc. This happens. They start out as the conservative. Of course, on msnbc, you can be only so conservative. They don't really have like, your type that wouldn't be on it. But they have the Nicole Wallaces and the people. Michael Steele, the people, usually, they hate Trump.

[Matt Gaetz]

It's the country club conservatives, not the hunting club conservatives.

[Bill Maher]

It's the non. It's the anybody but Trump conservatives. Right? Which is not. Does not. Look, I'm an everybody anybody but Trump guy too. But, like, it doesn't represent the country or the party, so it's bullshit. But okay, so they start out as that, but they're also conservative. Nicole Wallace was like, Bush's like, yeah.

[Matt Gaetz]

Oh, Mrs. She was out there, you know, cheerleading the Iraq war.

[Bill Maher]

Right. And the longer they're there and the more time they see MSNBC paycheck, the more they become not just anti Trump, but now they're just totally in league with. And I said, you know, look, I don't want people to become more conservative generally, but when you're. Looks to me like the paycheck is dictating your politics, I do have a problem with.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, they're enslaved by their audience because they see what everybody is.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, yeah.

[Matt Gaetz]

What turns off their audience, what turns on their audience, and that becomes the thing that turns them on as well. But, like, even when we say conservative, liberal, right, left, we are in a time of realignment right now, I think unlike any other time you've been in the media. The. Who is the pro war party? Who is the pro free speech party? Who is the pro free trade party?

[Bill Maher]

Who. Who's the stick up their ass party?

[Matt Gaetz]

Right.

[Bill Maher]

That's the biggest one in my world.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Because you know the stuff that used to get laughs because it was the Moral Majority doing it stick up their ass stuff. You know, Pat Robertson. Who's the other Jerry Falwell.

[Matt Gaetz]

This was your thing.

[Bill Maher]

All those purple Teletubbies, you know, are gay.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, the Clinton thing.

[Bill Maher]

And then who became the stick up their ass people?

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, the left.

[Bill Maher]

The left.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, and I mean, you're. Who taught me about Oral Sachs, because you're welcome. The Clinton.

[Bill Maher]

You're welcome, Mrs. Gates.

[Matt Gaetz]

The whole Clinton Ken Starr report really put your critique of the stick in the mud, stick up your ass. Contingent of politics in the forefront. But right now, there are times I see the political landscape where I have more in common with the populist leftists than I do the centrists in my own party. On matters of government surveillance, I team up with Ilhan Omar more than I team up with the Republicans on the intelligence committee on war powers.

[Bill Maher]

Talking about Elon Omar.

[Matt Gaetz]

Ilhan Omar. Yeah.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, you said it funny.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, she's. Yeah. You'd be surprised how often.

[Bill Maher]

Omar Ilhan. I don't like it. Oh, is that. How am I saying it? Right?

[Matt Gaetz]

It's Ilhan.

[Bill Maher]

My bad. I'm sorry. And sorry to the prophet. Peace and blessings upon him. I meant no disrespect. That's getting out of hand.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, I would probably cut that, but I think. I don't know where that's going to lead you, bro, but could be dicey.

[Bill Maher]

No, I mean, I've been down that road before.

[Matt Gaetz]

Do you can. Yeah, I have. That was your big.

[Bill Maher]

You have to be. I mean, Zuckerberg just made a big deal about free speech and I'm behind him on it because I think he's right. He's doing a kind of a mea culpa. Like we. We fact check too much and look, is there a lot of misinformation? Yeah. But also misinformation has become like a code word for just stuff we don't like. You know, Covid started in a lab. Well, we just don't think that should be out there. So that's. Well, it wasn't misinformation, shit like that. Not that stuff.

[Matt Gaetz]

That's true. When people were posting the true side effects of some of these vaccines, you had folks in the White House pressuring social media platforms to get that taken down. And it wasn't even false, but it was just derogatory to the narrative that they were trying to spin at the time. That should not be allowed. And I think the more you decentralize that away from the fact checker model to the community notes model, the more you make it durable to that type of government influence.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah. So if you were in the Justice Department, like, what would be your number one?

[Matt Gaetz]

Number one.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah.

[Matt Gaetz]

What would be defang the weaponization. Stop the whole. They go after us. I really mean that because if I'd have gone in there and done that stuff.

[Bill Maher]

You really think the. The FBI, is that not partisan? Because I always thought of the FBI as mostly Republicans, mostly squares, guys who iron their underwear, you know, real straight arrows. The Idea that it's infiltrated with all these like super radical left wing types who are out to get Trump. You don't think they had a reason? With all the, all the communications that were unprecedented between Trump and Russia, you don't think they had a reason to start that Operation Crossfire investigation? I mean, his fucking campaign manager, Manafort was completely in bed with the Russians. Michael Flynn and the combat. All these people in the administration who had all these discussions with Russians, Russians, Russians. And then she's always Russians. We don't know any Russians. Picture him. It's like eight Russians.

[Matt Gaetz]

It sort of feels silly to talk about.

[Bill Maher]

Merited an investigation.

[Matt Gaetz]

It feels silly to talk about now that like Trump was some asset of Putin when it was only Trump in the White House, where Putin did invade another country. But in terms of when. In terms of when.

[Bill Maher]

That's a good point.

[Matt Gaetz]

The investigation turned illegitimate. Like, okay, I guess you have reasonable suspicion around anything. But once they were applying for surveillance based on information that the FBI already knew was coming from Russian intelligence subsources, that's when they jumped the shard for me. They were signing FISA renewals when they knew that Steele was relying on people who were Russian intelligence people.

[Bill Maher]

There was a report. Was that the Horowitz report or was that the Durham report?

[Matt Gaetz]

That was Horowitz. Hello, it is Ryan. And we could all use an extra bright spot in our day, couldn't we? Just to make up for things like sitting in traffic, doing the dishes, counting your steps, you know, all the mundane stuff. That is why I'm such a big fan of Chumba Casino. Chumba Casino has all your favorite social casino style games that you can play for free, anytime, anywhere with daily bonuses. So sign up [e-mail]. that's chumbacasino.com sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary VGW Group void where prohibited by law 18 + terms and conditions apply.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, one of them was about the FBI and it did find errors. Yes, it did. Absolutely. No, no, no. Doesn't it?

[Matt Gaetz]

The FBI lawyer is, is pledging fidelity to the resistance while changing an email.

[Bill Maher]

That doesn't mean that there wasn't something there. Also, I mean, to go back to politically incorrect days, O.J. simpson did kill his ex wife and the police were also corrupt. Sometimes both can be.

[Matt Gaetz]

Do you think they framed him? Like, do you think they O.J. yeah, they took active steps to frame.

[Bill Maher]

No, I don't. That's what I'm saying.

[Matt Gaetz]

I'm saying they had their own problems.

[Bill Maher]

Admittedly and that's the analogy with the FBI. They did. There were problems, and the FISA thing was the most glaring of those errors. But you realize what Paul, he was having contacts just to say publicly, Russia, if you're listening. I mean, nobody ever did that. George Stepanopoulos said, you know, if a foreign power sent you intel, oh, well, I think you should look at it. No, you shouldn't. You should go to the FBI and say, a country who is not called America is trying to influence our elections. That's what you do. You go to the FBI. You don't look at it.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, you know what? That would be nice. But, Bill, as everything else in our world has become globalized trade information, our elections have become globalized, too. And the notion that the way we're going to be resilient to that is tattling to the FBI every time, it may work. But when I see the way these global corporations that rely on sovereign wealth funds of other countries are pouring cash into super funds for Democrats and Republicans, it's like, oh, oh, but Don Jr. Met with some lady in Trump Tower. There is such a foreign influence factor in our elections now. It is at such a high level. I don't know that there's anything, especially on your side. Oh, come on, man. You don't think that the Chinese were funding the whole Penn Center?

[Bill Maher]

The Matt center at Penn Manafort was trading polling information with a guy in the gruff. Democrats didn't do that.

[Matt Gaetz]

Paul Manafort, despite a lofty title, was a very bit player in what was going on with Trump. You know why I know he.

[Bill Maher]

How do you know that?

[Matt Gaetz]

Because he had one specific task. We were dealing with a faithless electors problem at the Republican convent. He would win a state, and then Ted Cruz was effective at using the party apparatus to substitute his delegates for Trump's delegates. And it wasn't like we'd had a recent convention fight, and one of the only guys around from the 80s that had ever planned for a convention fight was Paul Manafort. So he demands this lofty title, then he works the convention problem and at the same time is trying to showcase to the oligarchs on whatever side in Russia, Ukraine that he was this made guy in Trump world. And that was messy and should not have happened. But I think. Talk about whataboutism to say that that's a parallel to the tens of millions of dollars that flow into our elections from foreign sovereign wealth funds through US Companies and superpowers.

[Bill Maher]

And it's both sides.

[Matt Gaetz]

It is both sides.

[Bill Maher]

Based on a Ruling from a Republican Supreme Court.

[Matt Gaetz]

I think the ruling in Citizens United was wrong. Great to meet you.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, I'm having a good time.

[Matt Gaetz]

I'm glad, man.

[Bill Maher]

I'm glad you don't smoke pot anymore. Right.

[Matt Gaetz]

I won't with you. It would mess with like, all the molly I took on the way here.

[Bill Maher]

Weren't you. Weren't you one of the most forthright ones to want to put forward legalization for pot laws?

[Matt Gaetz]

I'm very pro right marijuana reform. I wrote Florida's first, second, and third marijuana laws.

[Bill Maher]

It just failed there.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, the vote on going from medical to adult use now in Florida, you have to go.

[Bill Maher]

It was on the ballot in just.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, it didn't fail.

[Bill Maher]

How could fucking nutty crazy bath salt alligator.

[Matt Gaetz]

Don't.

[Bill Maher]

With the Florida not be illegal for pilots.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah. We don't allow the homeless to degrade infrastructure to the point where it hurts the fire firefighters.

[Bill Maher]

Different issue.

[Matt Gaetz]

Different issue.

[Bill Maher]

And. And the. And the liberals have completely up that issue. It's in my brilliant special that's on probably now or just was. Is anybody else seeing this? I talk about it. Liberal versus woke. As far as homeless goes. No, I mean that the. Trust me, the liberals have a lot to answer for. And I call them out on all of it, which is again, is why they don't like me. And I don't give a.

[Matt Gaetz]

You talk. You know what? I wonder if you give a. Because you talked about it a lot.

[Bill Maher]

I do.

[Matt Gaetz]

You advertise how much it affects you by talking about it. Oh, no, because I don't even. I viewed you as a libertarian.

[Bill Maher]

No. All I'm doing is reminding people of my brand. My brand is almost unique. Not completely, but, like, I'm glad that everybody is like, so in their echo chamber because it leaves this big space in the middle for someone who will do that. People will watch this. If they watch the whole thing. They'll go, wow, what an honest conversation. Like, not like anyone I've ever seen with any politician. Like, that's what. Just two guys talking. And Bill was open. He didn't fucking hate that guy. But it wasn't about bother me. And then we got over it, just like a married couple does. And then we just kept nagging me.

[Matt Gaetz]

About it, just like a married couple.

[Bill Maher]

And when I think you're full of shit about stuff on your side, I call you out on that. And I'm also admitting. And I hope you are. I think I do it more than you when my side is wrong. And they are wrong a lot. And that's why they lost this election. And I tell them every day, you're just digging the hole deeper.

[Matt Gaetz]

Anybody who can't point out where their side is wrong is just a vessel through which others operate.

[Bill Maher]

Where's your side most wrong?

[Matt Gaetz]

My side's wrong on marijuana reform. My side is wrong on some elements of climate change. My side is wrong when they try to extend the surveillance state at any cost. My side is wrong when they try to go and build Jeffersonian democracies out of sand and blood and Arab militias in the Middle east and convert every Central Asian cave into.

[Bill Maher]

I gotta give that to Trump. He really doesn't like war.

[Matt Gaetz]

No, he really doesn't.

[Bill Maher]

That's not a bad thing. It's ironic. Like, who was the last president who really didn't like war? Jimmy Carter, the one they just buried. He never fired a shot. It's funny that they have that in common, isn't it?

[Matt Gaetz]

It is.

[Bill Maher]

And two guys who have nothing else in common.

[Matt Gaetz]

And it's not that Trump doesn't have militaristic tendencies. Like, I don't think he has any problems with torture or a really powerful strong military. But right now, one of the reasons we should be anti war is because I'm not sure we would win very many of them. And that's not a criticism of the amazing men and women in the military. But the shit we build doesn't work. I was on the Armed Services Committee for eight years and I saw the way what we spend money on is driven by what general is leaving to get, what board seat or what contract with Raytheon, Lockheed L3. We've allowed all this consolidation in the defense. Okay, the F35. The F35.

[Bill Maher]

I loved it when Musk went after the F35. I had said on my show two days earlier, I said, you know, they're talking about cutting shit. Let's see what happens when they go after the Pentagon. And then he did it two days later. I was like, okay, you know what? I'm not pre hating anything you guys are going to do. Not pre hating.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, and Heg Seth is uniquely critical of those things because these millennials who went and fought these wars and believed they were righteous and meaningful, who came more to the anti war side. Like, Tucker was a big pro war guy. Came to an anti war guy.

[Bill Maher]

He's cray now. Come on, come on, come on, bro. Come on. The Moscow stuff, defending Syria, defending Assad. I mean, you gotta be kidding. But Hegseth, he looks like he is having a good time. Let's get him over here.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, he'd be a good hang, but.

[Bill Maher]

I bet he would.

[Matt Gaetz]

But.

[Bill Maher]

Oh, yeah. What?

[Matt Gaetz]

Don't get me started on the accusations because they are so ridiculous. I want to get back to the point about the military.

[Bill Maher]

He seems like a guy who does not know how to treat women.

[Matt Gaetz]

Bill, you're telling me you treat him.

[Bill Maher]

Nice, you take him to Broadway shows.

[Matt Gaetz]

You're telling me.

[Bill Maher]

So you do the. And money thing, which is great.

[Matt Gaetz]

Some lonely housewife, Fox Pete Hegset in a hotel, then has to explain something to her husband the next day alleges rape. I just, I can't on that. But back to the. The military spending the F35 costs $100 million a copy. You know what percentage of them are fully operationally capable today? 29%.

[Bill Maher]

They don't work in the rain.

[Matt Gaetz]

If something costs $100 million, it should definitely work more than 29% of the time.

[Bill Maher]

But also the great thing Musk said was they're obsolete. We're in the age of drones. We're in the age of drones. Why are you building fighter planes if you guys can go in and really do that kind of shit? And like, wherever this country is really constipated, just roto rooter this kind of shit away, I will have great respect for it.

[Matt Gaetz]

I hope we achieve that. When I was sitting around Mar A Lago with Elon talking about how we were going to do that, name dropped. Elon says the way that we save the military and win the future wars is by designing a mechanism to get drone operators laid. Because the whole culture of the Air Force is the like fighter pilot, you know, macho. Yeah. The Navy top gun. And so like, if you had that same archetype for the 240 pound guy who like, lives in his mom's basement but knows how to operate a drone. If we can get that guy some pussy, we are gonna smoke China.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, well, we've got the onlyfans situation. I feel there's a.

[Matt Gaetz]

The loneliness situation.

[Bill Maher]

I feel like there's a way to combine the onlyfans ladies with the drone operators and make this happen because there's really nothing more pathetic for America. I mean, I'm not a technological guy, so, like, I wouldn't even know how to get on onlyfans. I mean, I don't really know how to get on. You know, I don't have chatgpt. I just not. I'm just a different.

[Matt Gaetz]

You don't use AI?

[Bill Maher]

No, I'm just not. I'm just of a Different generation. Okay. I'm old school. Like, you know, pad and pan. Sorry, that's who I am. But what I've read about OnlyFans is just. It's like, I can't believe what I'm reading that these guys must know that this girl is not really their girlfriend and doesn't really give a shit about them. And very often isn't even that girl. It's some fat guy in the Philippines who.

[Matt Gaetz]

Some chatbot that's running.

[Bill Maher]

Well, it's a. They call them chatters. Like, that's the person who's communicating. The fact that they willingly, willingly convince themselves that this is some sort of actual relationship where they're like, tipping them by the minute, you know, another five minutes.

[Matt Gaetz]

And it just for the chat. Sometimes just.

[Bill Maher]

And of course you're not there in the room with them. It's not a pr. You're not them in any way. They're friends and you're solid. The fact that so many millions of men are satisfied that this is some sort of actual relationship. This generation. Somebody told me a scary story about. She was telling me about her younger sister who's like 17 and has a boyfriend for the first time. And they were like, bring him over for dinner. No, the kids just want to be on the phone together all the time. FaceTiming. And when the girl goes to sleep at night, she leaves the phone on FaceTime all night, and so does the boyfriend. And they're sleeping together virtually with the phone on all night. And I said, do you have to pay for this? And she said, you know, they made a big mistake when they gave these kids unlimited data.

[Matt Gaetz]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, because that shit wouldn't have flown in my day. Because your parents would have been like, you are on your roaming minute.

[Bill Maher]

You have kids yet?

[Matt Gaetz]

I've got sort of an adopted son.

[Bill Maher]

How old?

[Matt Gaetz]

Right now he's 20.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, so he's a little. He's a little.

[Matt Gaetz]

23 years old.

[Bill Maher]

A little past this, but what do you make of a generation that is doing that, that can't even turn off the phone when they go to sleep?

[Matt Gaetz]

I think it's worse than that. I've been reading the literature on the people who get the AI boyfriend or girlfriend that they know is AI that they know is not an actual human. And they. They did these studies, and when you allow the person to interact with that bot and then you cut off the bot, they have sincere feelings of remorse over a breakup with a being that never existed. It's like Manta Tao.

[Bill Maher]

It's not that different than Onlyfans where the girl isn't really real either. But you're right, that's a great point. Actually, it is one small level past.

[Matt Gaetz]

Right.

[Bill Maher]

But it's basically.

[Matt Gaetz]

Are we getting that though? Aren't there going to be the AI relationships that, I don't know, define human romance?

[Bill Maher]

I'm so glad I'm in the generation I'm in, really. Even being almost 69 years old, which obviously has its bad parts, like you're not going to be around this long is. It's. I still would not trade it. I mean, I was sure wouldn't want to be what. What these kids are going through. I mean, and. And their sort of virtual existence when.

[Matt Gaetz]

When we. My generation. You met people.

[Bill Maher]

You're Gen X or you're millennial.

[Matt Gaetz]

I'm like the first millennial. I'm Zennial.

[Bill Maher]

You.

[Matt Gaetz]

You typically met people at bars, but this generation doesn't even really drink that much.

[Bill Maher]

Even when they're at bars, they're on their phone.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yes. You couldn't spend that much time on your phone because you were having a hit. Hit, you know, the button three times to get to the right letter to send a message. But where did, like, where did your generation. Where did you typically go to meet a romantic partner? What was that typical hunting experience for you?

[Bill Maher]

Okay, well, you know, I mean, I was just so bereft of knowledge. I would love it if it was here. I mean. No, I mean, I was. I was a late bloomer. I mean, it's really good. I never got married because, like, I needed time to catch up to what a loser I was when I was. I had one girlfriend in high school, and when she dumped me, it was like the worst thing that still in my life ever happened. I was like a wreck for a year. And then.

[Matt Gaetz]

So what'd she break up with you over? Was it another guy?

[Bill Maher]

No, I was just being a dick. I was just being complacent. You know what it was? I got bored. Like we all will do to a certain degree at all times. And it's just how you handle it. And I handled it because it was the first time like a dick. So then I went to Cornell, which had. It was like the worst possible atmosphere to ever try to get laid. It was like the Ivy Leagues had just started even admitting girls. So it's like a five to one ratio. And I didn't know how to get laid. So it was just.

[Matt Gaetz]

And it's not like the Cornell atmosphere had a whole lot else going on in the town you could tap into.

[Bill Maher]

Cornell's a shit place to go to school anyway. You get a great education, but it's cold and competitive. It's just. It's just a bad vibe up there really is. I never went back, so that was terrible. Then when I finally got out, then I went and moved to New York City. And being poor at a pot dealer, trying to be a comedian, also not a great formula to get laid in New York.

[Matt Gaetz]

Being a drug dealer wasn't a good formula to get laid.

[Bill Maher]

Not pot or like, I was selling small amounts to, like, guys at the club and the band. But when I came out here at 27, it was like, oh, I always say this town sucked my cock on the first date. I just loved it from the beginning. And I got along better with the girls and I had a little, little game and. And then I just. Yeah, you would go to bars. That's what it was. And I was still such a loser. I remember I had a friend who I didn't really like that much, but he was good at talking to girls. That's really one of the key signs of a loser. You got to have a guy, a wingman. Oh, I was going to mention this guy, Joel Greenberg. I'm very curious. He comes up in the articles and I saw Megan Kelly talking about him. Again, I had not heard this because again, you only get one half of the story. First of all, what was your relationship with him? He sounds like you guys are asshole buddies.

[Matt Gaetz]

It was someone I deeply regret having spent any time with. But he was in politics in Central Florida. He became a social acquaintance of mine and, you know, he had, you know, a vision on crypto, and he had a vision on all these different things. He was the tax collector. He became the first tax collector in the country to take crypto. So I was sort of enamored with the cutting edge nature of how he was going about things. And what I sort of learned through this is in jail. He's in jail. He's in jail. And before anything with me, one of the things he's in jail for is lying about another person about having sexual contact with someone who was underage. But what I learned is if you're around people and they're doing stuff, and even if you're not doing that stuff, if you're the most famous person or you're the most powerful person, if shit breaks bad, then everybody's going to point the finger at you. And that's what happened with Joel Greenberg, by the way. If, if, if the way I go down is drinking with Bill Maher at Club Random. I'm, I'm comfortable with that. Ginger, if you can hear this, you should go.

[Bill Maher]

Well, you just made up for that gaffe at the beginning. That's a very sweet thing to say. I appreciate it. No, I, I, I.

[Matt Gaetz]

You're one of these boomer. Not Boomer. You're Gen X. Yeah, I'm Boomer. You're a boomer.

[Bill Maher]

Gen X. So thank you. That is so kind of you. No, I'm totally.

[Matt Gaetz]

There's a whole echelon of you gu. Cult heroes to my generation. It was like you, Lewis Black, Norm MacDonald, rest his soul. One of the funniest people to ever live. Yeah, you. It, it was the calling out of the mores of the time that developed a really, like, sincere following.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, no, I love it when I have fans in your every generation, but especially as it gets younger, because is.

[Matt Gaetz]

It your liberal fans are older and your conservative fans are younger would be my guess.

[Bill Maher]

Yeah, probably. I know, you know, I never looked into it that much, but that's probably what it is. But I also, you know, I hear a lot about, you know, the guys on the golf course love you because again, I'm not, I never have been afraid to, like, speak truth about what's going on in the left and what's going on in the left. You know, I get it. I do not like Trump, but I never hate anybody who votes for him. I totally get it. It. I get why people go, you know.

[Matt Gaetz]

Would you agree that like the two, the two greatest politicians, well, Clinton might have fit in there, but Obama and Trump had absolutely right.

[Bill Maher]

And I do believe as a politician, yeah, he's, he's non pariah. But so was Hitler as a politician. I'm not saying he's Hitler. He's not.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, you're also not saying Obama's Hitler. You're making a point.

[Bill Maher]

Exactly. But Trump, you know, let me just be clear, because this is a thing that people do say. Trump is not Hitler. Hitler fought the Russians. Okay. I'm thinking now that maybe your days as a party animal connected you more with who the American people really are. Is that a fair statement?

[Matt Gaetz]

Look, because I was never a holier than thou politician. I never.

[Bill Maher]

We know that. Yeah.

[Matt Gaetz]

But you know what? Some people who had personal foibles and follies would then go and be in great moral judgment of others. And for whatever problems I've had in my life, I've never tried to represent that I'm a better person than My constituents.

[Bill Maher]

I just try to be a vessel, I'm saying for them.

[Matt Gaetz]

For them.

[Bill Maher]

I think you're more. I think you're more like them. I mean, I don't consider you. I mean, especially having talked to you. Now there are some dirtbags in your party. I mean, George Santos. Gimme a break. I mean.

[Matt Gaetz]

Oh, George.

[Bill Maher]

What?

[Matt Gaetz]

Every, Every, every generation gets the Princess Diana. They're deserved. And ours was George Santos taken from us too early.

[Bill Maher]

Well, that's not really a good analogy. Well, Princess Diana wasn't. Was she a charlatan?

[Matt Gaetz]

No, it's a joke.

[Bill Maher]

Very funny one too. Okay, so, but then, like, who Lauren Boebert?

[Matt Gaetz]

I mean, she's a patriot. Lauren Boebert's terrific.

[Bill Maher]

Okay, but she gives hand jobs during musicals.

[Matt Gaetz]

So what?

[Bill Maher]

I agree.

[Matt Gaetz]

So you're hand jobs now?

[Bill Maher]

You were taking girls to musical.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, none that I had give me hand jobs, but I. Not entirely.

[Bill Maher]

I would have turned one down. You know, that's what they said. And my joke was like, they said, well, Matt Gaetz, he took prostitutes to musicals. I'm like, really? If you're taking to a girl to a musical, isn't that payment in itself?

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, by the way, think about how fantastical that sounds that I was bringing prostitutes to Broadway shows. They were my dates.

[Bill Maher]

Right. Right. Now I'm saying that is not a. See, there's a. I don't think people know what a prostitute is. A prostitute is someone, first of all, who has a pimp, okay? Who gets hit with a car antenna, you know, who gives blowjobs behind dumpsters. That's a prostitute. And of course there's high end, but, you know, but they're. But they don't get taken to Broadway shows, was my point.

[Matt Gaetz]

Well, let me, let me offer a defense of some of the people that you've criticized. I serve with a lot of. I serve with a lot of congressmen and women who live perfect family lives. Never looked the other way, never done anything other than live a purpose driven holy life. And they get that congressional pin on and they go and sell out the country and they vote for whoever gives them money and they vote for whatever lobbyists give them attention. And then there are people who are flawed and irreverent and have tough moments that are caught on tv, but they sincerely do what they think is best for the country. And that's why I had friendships in Congress that a lot of people wouldn't realize. I was friends with Ilhan Omar. She and her husband and my wife and I have had dinner together and spent social time together.

[Bill Maher]

I would not have guessed that. Right.

[Matt Gaetz]

And you know why? Because while I disagree with her strongly on matters of policy and she would say the same of me, I at least knew she fucking believed. Believed it.

[Bill Maher]

Okay?

[Matt Gaetz]

And say that about. Say what you want about aoc, she believes what she says. And for like way more than half of them up there, they don't even believe what they're saying. They are just reading scripts that are written, produced by others. And I resent that more than a substantive disagreement.

[Bill Maher]

I do too. Well, it's been a pleasure before I evacuate to talk to you.

[Matt Gaetz]

I sincerely hope.

[Bill Maher]

It really has. Yeah, it's been a pleasure.

[Matt Gaetz]

One more beef, man. I had. You've called me a bully more than once on your show.

[Bill Maher]

No, I think what we did was we showed you a picture of you and said he always looks like. He has a look on his face like, eat it, nerd.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, but I am the nerd.

[Bill Maher]

No, but you look different. I went to different. First of all, you look different in person.

[Matt Gaetz]

More like a nerd.

[Bill Maher]

No, less normal. More normal.

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah. Well, that always bothered me about your coverage of me because, like, you've seen.

[Bill Maher]

The way they do you on Saturday Night Live.

[Matt Gaetz]

I know.

[Bill Maher]

I mean, that's what they think you look like. It doesn't. It doesn't what you look like to me right now, looking at you in person. Maybe it is on TV or, you know, people just present differently on tv.

[Matt Gaetz]

Sometimes I'm a weird looking guy. I don't.

[Bill Maher]

But you're not. That's the thing. You're not. But I was expecting one. Really. Molly.

[Matt Gaetz]

The Molly must be kicking in right now.

[Bill Maher]

All right, well, thank you for coming here.

[Matt Gaetz]

I appreciate it. You know, we should do real time.

[Bill Maher]

I would love to. Would you do it?

[Matt Gaetz]

Yeah, if, you know, would you do a panel? I. I got. I got no fear of your panel or your audience. But. But sometimes, sometime you gotta do. Do my podcast too, if you.

[Bill Maher]

I will.

[Matt Gaetz]

All right. I got a podcast coming up and would love to have you, bro.

[Bill Maher]

I appreciate it. Thank.

[Matt Gaetz]

I got a podcast.

[Bill Maher]

You mentioned your podcast. It's so new it doesn't have a name.

[Matt Gaetz]

Over the line with. Matt Gates is going to be the.

[Bill Maher]

Name over the line. I will be on it. Thank you. All right. Thank you.

[Matt Gaetz]

Appreciate.