Fareed Zakaria GPS — “Bill Maher on the Democratic Party’s Future”

Podcast: Fareed Zakaria GPS (CNN Podcasts)
Episode Date: November 16, 2025
Host: Fareed Zakaria
Guests: Bill Maher, Jessica Green, Nick Thompson

Episode Overview

This episode explores the future of the Democratic Party through a candid interview with Bill Maher. Zakaria and Maher dissect the recent government shutdown, ponder the risks of political extremes, and question whether Democrats can regain voter trust by restoring competence. The episode also features climate policy analysis with expert Jessica Green and an inspiring conversation with Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, about lessons learned from running ultra-marathons.

1. Zakaria’s Opening Take: The Shutdown as a “Defeat for the Democrats”

[02:52–08:40]

Key Points:

• Fareed contextualizes the shutdown's end, framing it as a strategic loss for Democrats, citing unmet goals and ineffective messaging.
• He criticizes Democratic governance in major blue states and cities, highlighting:
  • Soaring public spending vs. stagnant outcomes (education, housing, infrastructure)
  • Regulatory paralysis
  • Bloated bureaucracies and overpromises with “inept execution”
• Uses New York City as an example: budget up 75% in a decade, outcomes worsened
• Warns of “fiscal time bombs” in public pensions/benefits
• Argues Americans desire competent, effective government—not just ambitious programs

Notable Quotes:

• Fareed Zakaria [06:32]:
  "Government that promises more, costs more, but delivers less...Americans do not hate government. They hate government that doesn't work."
• References Casey Stengel’s famous lament about the New York Mets:
  "Can't anyone here play this game?" [08:27]

2. In-Depth Interview: Bill Maher on Democrats’ Challenges, Party Identity, and Political Extremes

[08:40–16:09]

Main Topics

• Maher’s take on “feckless” Democrats and lack of normalcy in US politics
• Parallels deadlocked politics to an “18-inning baseball game” [09:23]

a) Trump’s Policy Instincts vs. Excesses

• Maher says Trump was “not wrong” on some core issues: border, NATO, trade, higher ed
• Problem: Trump “goes too far,” loses support even on popular issues

b) Democratic Messaging & Leadership Directions

• Maher worries about rise of “socialist” leadership in blue cities, cites NYC’s new mayor and Seattle

• Fears this leadership is politically out of step with the country

• Bill Maher [11:15]:
  "If the face of the Democratic Party going into the next election is [Zoran] Mondami in the East and Katie Porter in the West, that's not a great look for the party."

c) On Pragmatism & “Wokeness”

• Maher doubles down on being a left-of-center critic, not a convert to conservatism
• Bemoans drift away from Obama-era centrism:
  "There was much less to make fun of when Obama was president because Obama was a centrist. That's what I would like to get back to: Obama politics." [14:44]
• Calls for moderation and open-mindedness, criticizes both parties’ drift from common sense

d) On Voting Republican & Democratic Overreach

• Open to voting GOP “if they lose the idea of not accepting elections”
• Biggest fear: Republicans justify anti-democratic actions as necessary against extreme left
• “These people...want to reinvent everything. They are revolutionaries in a country that is not asking for revolution. They're just asking for politicians to fix things." [13:42]

Notable Moments

• Maher explains criticism of both left and right and frustration at how his commentary is clipped and misrepresented by partisan media [14:44]
• Fareed and Maher agree that most Americans want simple competence and normalcy, not revolution or dogmatism

3. The Trump-Epstein Scandal & MAGA Base

[17:08–22:05]

Key Points

• New Epstein-related documents implicate Trump in ongoing controversies
• Discussion of whether Trump's base is eroding amid scandals and policy shifts

a) Maher on Trump’s Support Base

• Trump’s approval now “in the 30s”—down to the “ride or die” core supporters
• “It’s not going to get much lower than that...But that doesn't help you politically. Then you are kind of a lame duck.” [17:59]

b) On GOP Fractures

• Resistance in states like Kansas and Indiana to Trump-driven policies:
  "Kansas and Indiana balked at his plan for redistricting...he got Texas to do it...but Kansas and Indiana both said, 'no, we're not going to do that.'" [18:40]
• Observes growing use of terms like “gaslighting” among MAGA members, suggesting cracks in party unity

c) Epstein, QAnon, and the Conspiratorial Right

• Maher notes irony: Trump “promised to get to the bottom” of Epstein, now ensnared by the same conspiracy world
• “It's almost Shakespeare, you know, that he brought this up and promised his group when he was running, I'm going to get to the bottom of this because [to] Qanon...this is huge.” [20:00]
• QAnon, red shoes, anti-Semitic conspiracy tropes—how such narratives fuel right-wing passion
• Maher discusses talking to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, noting they’re “a monster till you talk to them and then they're not quite that monstrous.” [21:40]

Notable Quotes

• Bill Maher [22:03]:
  "That's very big crack. That's very big." (on the possibility of Trump losing part of his base)

4. The Future of Global Climate Policy: Jessica Green

[22:52–28:13]

Key Points

• COP30 held in Brazil; US notably absent under Trump administration
• Many countries, especially in the developing world, scaling back commitments

a) Optimism and Obstacles

• Falling renewable energy costs; decarbonization framed as an economic necessity, not just environmentalism
• Transition to “petro states” vs. “electrostates” (US and China as archetypes)

b) China’s Contradictions

• China is the largest emitter overall but not per capita; historical US emissions are twice China’s
• Maher/Green debate: does total volume or per capita matter most? (Total matters for climate; per capita/historic for politics)

c) US Withdrawal: Consequence or Not?

• Green says global decarbonization will continue, world is “reorganizing according to fuel choice and energy choice.”
• US retreat from leadership “puts in higher relief” the diverging paths between countries doubling down on fossil fuels and those investing in renewables

Notable Quotes

• Jessica Green [24:37]:
  “The fight isn’t lost...This is increasingly becoming a question of statecraft and economic futures for countries.”

5. Lessons from Ultra-Running: Nick Thompson’s Memoir

[29:37–35:41]

Key Points

• Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, discusses his memoir Running: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports
• Overcame cancer, set world records for his age group in ultra-distance running

a) Psychological Barriers in Performance

• Improved after switching coaches and breaking through self-imposed limits
• "Pain is physical, but it's also emotional...A lot of times it's just your brain deciding that you have a limit." [31:33]

b) Father-Son Dynamics

• Running served as emotional connection with complicated, distant father
• Forgiveness rooted in unconditional love, not just shared activity

c) Broader Life Lessons from Running

• Stoicism: show up every day regardless of conditions
• "If you want to get better, you have to consistently go out there. And if you consistently go out there, you will get better." [34:11]
• Applied this perseverance to family and professional life

d) Run-commuting in NYC

• Runs 8–10 miles daily by commuting from home to office: “It’s the most efficient way to trip.” [35:09]

6. Fareed’s “Last Look”: Aid, Development, and Hard Choices

[36:19–41:09]

Key Insights

• Bill Gates’s memo argues, amid US foreign aid cuts, for prioritizing proven, lifesaving humanitarian aid over development projects with mixed records
• Countries like China, Japan, and others succeeded economically mostly without Western aid
• “Let’s do more of what works and save the lives of some of the poorest and most vulnerable people on the planet.”

Memorable Quotes & Moments

Fareed Zakaria [06:32]:
"Americans do not hate government. They hate government that doesn't work. They will support ambitious programs if they believe they will be implemented competently..."

Bill Maher [14:44]:
"If you say I changed, I didn't change. The world changed, the parties changed."

Jessica Green [24:37]:
"This is increasingly becoming a question of statecraft and economic futures for countries."

Nick Thompson [34:11]:
"There's so many lessons from running, one of which is it's like a little bit of stoicism...If you consistently go out there, you will get better."

Timestamps — Key Segments

• 02:52–08:40: Zakaria’s critique of Democratic governance after the shutdown
• 08:40–16:09: Bill Maher interview: Democrats’ identity, “woke-ism,” voting behavior
• 17:08–22:05: Trump’s base and Epstein scandal, QAnon, party fractures
• 22:52–28:13: Jessica Green on global climate politics post-COP30
• 29:37–35:41: Nick Thompson on running, psychological limits, family, life lessons
• 36:19–41:09: “Last Look” — Bill Gates, humanitarian aid vs. development

Episode Tone

• Intelligent, frank, and probing on politics and policy
• Candid, reflective, and even humorous in Maher’s segments
• Nuanced and practical in expert interviews
• Inspirational and personal in final memoir segment

For New Listeners

This episode offers incisive criticism of both American political parties, a call for pragmatic competence, and insightful reflections on resilience—whether in government or on the running track. Bill Maher’s wit and candor, combined with Fareed Zakaria’s analytical rigor, make for a bracing diagnosis of what ails American politics and provide glimpses of hope for personal and societal renewal.