Bill Maher Prods A Struggling Ron DeSantis During The Return of ‘Real Time’: “If The Campaign Was Going Well, You Wouldn’t Be On This Show”

Last night on Real Time with Bill Maher‘s first episode back from its pause during the writers strike, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sat down with the HBO host for an uneventful interview that the Republican Presidential candidate laughed straight through.

DeSantis, who is a known union antagonist, referred to Real Time‘s pause due to the strike as a “hiatus.” He then jumped the gun and touted Florida’s lack of state income taxes and vaccine mandate.

Although Maher had as recently as this spring believed that DeSantis was the only real threat to Donald Trump for the GOP nom, he has surely changed his tune.

“You are trying to thread this needle that will never happen,” said Maher about DeSantis’ likelihood of beating Trump. “Let’s face it Ron, if the campaign was going well, you wouldn’t be on this show.”

Trump is currently the GOP frontrunner among voters with a 62% approval rating, while DeSantis is only at 10%, according to a recent New York Post poll. In an effort to further appeal to his Republican base, DeSantis will debate California Gov. Gavin Newsom on November 30 in Georgia on Fox News.

“You know he is taller and better looking,” Maher quipped to DeSantis with a lack of confidence that he could come out on top.

Earlier in the interview, Maher asked DeSantis why he’s “picking a fight with Mickey Mouse,” referring to the Florida governor’s ongoing jurisdictional and legal battles with Disney over the past year.

“Well, first of all, they picked a fight with us,” said DeSantis. “This idea of ideology-corrupting institutions, I see it in Los Angeles with the amount of crime that’s here and the homelessness.”

He then went on to criticize so-called “woke ideology” and the Center for Disease Control, to which Maher replied: “we are on the same page.”

You can check out a clip of the interview above.

Last night was the 14th episode of Real Time with Bill Maher’s 21st season, which premiered on January 20. The show was suspended between May 2 and September 27 due to the Writers Guild strike, which finally ended on September 24 when a deal was reached.