Bill Maher makes an extraordinary joke about Trump’s prison rape while ranting about America having a higher incarceration rate than Russia

By Nic White for Dailymail.Com

19:52 08 June 2024, updated 19:53 08 June 2024

Bill Maher joked that “we all” imagined Donald Trump would be raped if he were to go to prison for his 34 capital crimes convictions.

The comedian said it was a “puzzling paradox” that rape jokes were “completely unacceptable and unthinkable” – unless they had to do with prison.

Maher said such jokes have become more common since the former president was convicted of falsifying business records last Thursday.

“With all this talk about Trump possibly going to jail, we all did. I mean, come on, it’s Donald Trump!” he joked on his HBO show.

“When the opportunity arises, it’s only natural to imagine him getting fucked in the ass.”

Despite the number of crimes against him, Trump is unlikely to face prison time when his hush money trial is sentenced on July 11, as he is a first-time, non-violent offender.

But Maher’s bizarre joke was the prelude to a serious section about Americans’ attitudes toward punishment and the country’s prison system in general.

“I’m just saying that maybe we shouldn’t make jokes about rape in prison,” he continued.

“If not for him, then for the nearly two million people who are behind bars in this country at any given time. That’s more people than in 12 states. They should have their own two senators.”

Maher pointed out that the incarceration rate in the United States is higher than in Russia, China or “almost any other evildoer country” that concerns Americans.

“But for some reason, Americans just accept that not only do we incarcerate a lot more people, but that sodomy is the appropriate punishment if you are a criminal of any kind,” he said disdainfully.

Maher explained that many prisons are so overcrowded that inmates have to fight for toilets and showers and even sleep on the floor – or are locked in solitary confinement.

The United States is also home to four of the 25 most dangerous prisons in the world – the Florence Supermax in Colorado, Attica near Buffalo, San Quentin north of San Francisco and the New Mexico State Penitentiary.

A fifth prison, FCI Dublin near Oakland, will also be closed because the prison guard’s “rape club,” where sexual abuse of inmates by staff is widespread, is too deeply rooted in the work culture to reform, he said.

“What kind of society is it that thinks this is a good thing? We call them ‘penitentiaries,’ but that’s like calling the NFL a brain development program,” he said.

“I’m not saying it’s not OK to lock people up. Of course it is, but it’s not OK to intentionally violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.”

“Fake tough guys think that if prison is bad enough, it will encourage people not to cause trouble when they get out. But they’re wrong – it actually has the opposite effect.”

As evidence of this, Maher pointed to the country’s high recidivism rate, which was 43 percent in the first year after release and 82 percent within a decade.

He described prison as “LinkedIn for the underclass,” and said since almost all inmates are eventually released, Americans need to think about “who we really want to bring back into society.”

“It’s a taxpayer-funded mentoring program for criminals,” he said.

“A hapless, penniless guy goes to prison for selling drugs or check fraud and comes out a few years later as a sex offender with ‘White Power’ written all over his neck.

“We all just accept that this is the way prison works: if you come in bad, you come out bad… but that doesn’t have to be the case, we could change that.”

Maher pointed to countries like Norway, where prisoners have comfortable cells and learn skilled trades, and where there are “guards who are not crazy, who have not passed the police psychiatric test” – and where the recidivism rate is just 20 percent.

Maher blamed the use of private prisons in the United States for much of the recidivism rate.

“Corporations run prisons not to improve society but to make money,” he said.

“The more prisoners, the more profit… they don’t want to rehabilitate them, they want repeat customers.”

Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in connection with their extramarital affair and to prevent news about it from jeopardizing his election campaign.

His conviction could be called into question after a Facebook post claimed that jurors would discuss plans to find him guilty before delivering their verdict.

Judge Juan Merchan sparked speculation about a possible mistrial when he sent a letter to prosecutors and defense attorneys about the post.

“My cousin is a juror and says Trump will be convicted (heart emoji). Thanks guys for all your hard work!!!!” it said.