Overtime – Episode #667: Larry Wilmore, Rep. Byron Donalds

Welcome to an HBO podcast from the HBO Late Night series, Real Time with Bill Maul. All right, here we are at over time with the host of the podcast, Black on the Air, Larry Wilmore, and the Republican Congressman from Florida's 19th District, Byron Donalds.
Byron, Larry, what's that? Well, first of all, you're a religious person. Do you want to have a rebuttal to what I just said on the editorial? I may have taken a shot or two at religion.
Two things. First, you don't have to believe in God to see God's miracle in your life.
I'm a believer. Whether you're an atheist, no matter what you believe in, whether I even like you or not,

I can recognize the fact that something happened

that stayed you away from death or pain

or grave circumstance.

I equate it to the hand of God moved on your life.

That's the first thing.

Second thing, you kind of made it sound

like Donald Trump is Thanos, man.

Like, nobody's trying to make him into, like, a demigod.

He doesn't have the magical gauntlet.

But you do got to recognize the fact that literally, and I talked to him about it, the way he turned his head at the podium, which he typically will do, it was this much. And you have to acknowledge that it's not just luck.
I do believe millions of Americans believe God's hand is out. And that's the difference between how we see it.
But, okay. No, we just see that differently.
Some people see, you know, there's this order and everything, and some people see randomness. What about the guy behind him who got shot? Because, I mean, I know, but like you say, God, I mean, what? God's not happy with that guy? I mean, no, but I mean, it's like, how do you justify that? Why did God let, I mean.

It's like, whew, good job, Jesus.

Wait, what?

Jesus?

No, there were two.

It wasn't just, there were two.

No, never mind, never mind.

Maybe, yeah.

I mean, what is God's end of that?

Shit happens, I can't be everywhere?

Let's just, okay. Let be everywhere? It's just...

Okay.

Let's talk.

Let's talk.

Although, I will have to think...

It's like the abortion thing, that you guys,

the wonderful discussion, very entertaining.

And by the way, I think that's very healthy,

to see that.

The only thing I'll add to that conversation is,

that's the conversation you have to have about abortion.

Right.

Yeah.

And you can't shy away from it just hiding behind your party

or hiding behind your labels

if we're going to figure out how as a country

and as a people we're going to move forward.

Right.

I agree with that.

Is the Trump shooter who has been described

as a quiet, lonely kid who was bullied in school

an example of how boys in America are in crisis? Yeah. I think there's been many books about it.
Men in crisis. And if you look at the statistics, I mean, there's a lot of information about girls, too, that would lead one to believe that young people are in crisis no matter what their gender.
But boys, especially, in this day and age, I think, are living through something I don't think boys ever lived through before. First of all, we live in a kind of an information age.
What has been the calling card of men for years, brawn, is not valued anymore as much. I mean, there's this controversy about the Secret Service people who were guarding Trump

because some people say it shouldn't have been

women because they were a foot shorter

than him. And so

that's not the best if you're trying to block a bullet

from getting to the president.

And kids like that. I'm not saying he did

this for this reason, but they see

like, wow, even the jobs we used to be

better at, like being taller.

We can't even get those jobs anymore. Amen.
Yeah, I think there's a loneliness epidemic happening now. And you've talked about this many times, social media being kind of at the heart of it.
Yes. One of the things, one of the benefits of religion, I think, is that at least people are getting out of the house coming together in a community and sharing something together and people can meet there and that kind of thing.
When people are isolated, social media, and also the pornification of the culture too, where guys don't have to try as hard to have sex anymore. They can have sex with their phone now, basically.
It's true, honestly. But when you have to work to impress a girl or put some nice clothes on to go out, even just to a bar, you're being social.
There's value to being a social animal. That's how we've lived for all these thousands of years, by being social creatures.
I agree with you. Young boys, really the last probably two decades in America, we've got a real problem.
Masculinity is important. It's important for not just cultural reasons.
It's important for your development from a boy to a man to realize what's important, to understand that you have a responsibility to go out there and gather and work hard and earn.

And you've got to have that grit, that toughness to be a leader, to be a husband, to be a father,

whether that's a decision you choose to make in your own personal life. But those traits are important for masculinity and for men.

To take them away really hurts not just men, it hurts women as well.

I'll say this about the...

Although, I don't think it's fair to put the shooter in this particular category because that thing has shown up many times over the past. Remember Hinckley wanted to impress Jodie Foster, you know if you look at Lee Harvey Oswald, it's a lot of the same profile as this guy, you know, his personal profile people that have done these types of acts over the years I don't't think it's all.
I think Lee Harvey was political. I mean, he was in Russia.
We don't know which side, though, either. Well, yes.
I mean, it was a little murky. I mean, he did purposely go to Russia.
He married a Russian woman. Right.
He was involved with the Communist Party. I mean, you know, we don't know.
But this kid, I mean, all they know is that he was looking at stuff about Biden as well as Trump. I think he would have shot whoever showed up that day.
Yeah, it's like the kid who shot the people in the movie theater. Yeah.
Or, you know, Columbine and some of these other things, you know, some of these profiles. But, yeah, it's not a big disagreement.
I'm just pointing out some of these profiles. All right.
What do you think, what are your thoughts, panel, on NBC pulling Morning Joe, oh yeah, from the air on Monday? Thank God, no. I thought we were in agreement now.
I thought we were like, why? I thought we came together on that point. That's what I thought.
Why? We don't like Morning Joe? Well, people don't know know what... I mean, I was shocked at this story, too.
People don't know what this is. Morning Joe, the shooting was on Saturday.
They pulled the show off the air Monday. Did not air it because they were afraid that someone on the show would say something untoward.
Have they not watched the show for the past eight years? Why? What are they saying on that show? What do they say about Trump? Oh, about Trump. They say everything they're going to watch.
But that you can't trust your journalists? Yeah, it doesn't make sense. I mean, this would be like if Walter Cronkite, the day the Kennedy assassination, the flash from Dallas.
I shouldn't really say anything. Something happened there.
I mean, that you can't trust... How could the people trust these journalists if the network itself can't trust them to go on the air and not fuck it up? Well, also, Morning Joe...
You can't be respectful? No, it doesn't make sense. It really...
I mean, I make jokes about it, but it really doesn't make sense.

It's not like Morning Joe is more

partisan than

the late night MSNBC lineup.

You know, that's just

as partisan in terms of their point of view

where they're coming from, so I don't know why

they wouldn't trust that, and yet they can have...

Now, the show's on, for me, in the middle of the night.

Right. So, I'm not going to say

I see it a lot. Right, right.
I mean, it's on at like 6 in the morning. I'm barely getting to sleep.
What? I'm a comedian. This is the life we live, okay? That's true.
But Joe was a, like you, a congressman from Florida. Yes.
A Republican congressman from Florida. I don't think he's a crazy person.
I think he's a smart guy. I like him.
He's been on this show. I've been on his show.
I'd like to hear what he has to say. And I...
I don't know what their decision, what their thing was. I would say...
Has Joe become that far left in your view? No, but even if he has... He's that anti-Trump, though.
No, but even if he has, who cares? You know, he's not some crazy person that you suddenly realize, who's this crazy person we have on TV? Well, you're the one that put him on. Why? You know? You're just realizing this person shouldn't be on television? No, of course not.
If NBC can't trust the show going on, it's because they already know that the show has a very strong anti-Trump viewpoint, so maybe they said, you know what? We can't take a chance. I don't want to speak for him.
I don't know. That's exactly what it sounds like.
I just

think it's ridiculous. But what do I know? I'm on vacation.
Thank you.

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