--- title: "Bill Maher criticises Democrats' stance on faith and Israel" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/bill-maher-criticises-democrats-stance-on-faith-and-israel" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/bill-maher-criticises-democrats-stance-on-faith-and-israel" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/bill-maher-criticises-democrats-stance-on-faith-and-israel.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/bill-maher-criticises-democrats-stance-on-faith-and-israel" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-24T03:05:20.042Z" source_reported: "2026-08-23T14:12:30.000Z" updated: "2026-08-24T03:15:09.103Z" trust_score: 68 critic_score: 87 hype_score: 30 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-25T05:00:14.801789+00:00" --- # Bill Maher criticises Democrats' stance on faith and Israel *Comedian Bill Maher suggested Democrats are unwelcoming to Jewish faith, citing a poll on views of Israel.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 68 of 100, higher is better. Trust 68: named sources and Pew poll cited, but coverage comes from a single centre outlet. - Craft 87 of 100, higher is better. Critic 87: explains context, quotes multiple figures, separates facts, clear writing. - Hype 30 of 100, lower is better. Hype 30: headline mildly sensational, body matches content without exaggeration. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Comedian Bill Maher said the Democratic Party is unwelcoming to Jewish faith. - Maher suggested that a candidate's faith is accepted in the Democratic Party unless it is Jewish. - A Pew Research Center poll shows 80% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have an unfavorable view of Israel. - The Republican Jewish Coalition stated the Republican Party is the only party where American Jews can be proudly Jewish and loudly pro-Israel. Comedian Bill Maher stated that the Democratic Party exhibits a double standard regarding faith, suggesting that Jewish belief is not welcome. Maher made these remarks during a CNN segment, asserting that in the Democratic Party, a candidate's public faith is acceptable "as long as that faith isn't Jewish." His comments followed a discussion on CNN's "Real Time" about Texas Democrat James Talarico's Christian faith. A Pew Research Center poll indicates that 80% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents hold an unfavorable view of Israel. The same poll found that 41% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents also have a negative view of the Jewish state. The Democratic Party has supported candidates and officials who have voiced criticism of Israel, including Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has also been noted for his criticism of Israel. Sam Markstein, Republican Jewish Coalition national political director, commented that the Republican Party is the sole party accommodating American Jews who are both proud of their identity and supportive of Israel. Markstein stated, "It’s a rare occasion when we agree with Bill Maher, but he’s right: there is only one party where American Jews can be proudly Jewish and loudly pro-Israel, and it’s the Republican Party." ## What the coverage left out None of the centre-rated reports below mention the specific percentage of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who hold a positive view of Israel, which was included in the full report. ## Who covered it Shares of the 19 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 16% (3) - Right: 84% (16) 1 of 20 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-25T05:00:14.801789+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 87 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-25T05:30:32.385Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from KFOX led with Bill Maher's comments about the Democratic Party's perceived double standard on faith, specifically mentioning his assertion that Jewish belief is not welcome. It included Maher's direct quote on the matter and presented the Pew Research Center poll data showing a high percentage of Democrats with unfavorable views of Israel. The report also featured a quote from Sam Markstein of the Republican Jewish Coalition, who agreed with Maher and positioned the Republican Party as supportive of Jewish identity and pro-Israel stances. ### Right - All twelve right‑rated digests report that Bill Maher accused the Democratic Party of tolerating religious expression only when it is not Jewish. Each digest notes his description of a double standard, citing his comment that candidates may express faith “as long as that faith isn’t Jewish.” - Four outlets, New York Post, PJ Media, The Gateway Pundit and VINnews, characterise Maher’s critique as labeling the party antisemitic or a “party of Jew haters.” The Washington Times digest reproduces Maher’s exact quote, while WLTReport adds that a GOP group praised his remarks as correct. - None of the right‑rated digests provide a response from Democratic officials, nor do they quote Dana Bash or any party spokesperson. They also omit any discussion of broader Israel‑policy debates that appeared in other coverage, limiting the reported perspective to Maher’s statements alone. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - low: 3 - mixed: 5 - high: 5 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 5 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [VINnews](https://vinnews.com/2026/08/23/bill-maher-says-democratic-party-accepts-religion-as-long-as-that-faith-isnt-jewish) — Bill Maher Says Democratic Party Accepts Religion ‘As Long As That Faith Isn’t Jewish’ - [KFOX](https://kfoxtv.com/news/nation-world/bill-maher-mocks-democrats-double-standard-on-faith-saying-jewish-belief-isnt-welcome-pew-research-center-israel-abdul-el-sayed-zohran-mamdani-james-talarico-cnn-dana-bash-christianity-republican-hasan-piker) — Bill Maher mocks Democrats’ ‘double standard’ on faith, saying Jewish belief isn’t welcome - [CBS Austin](https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/bill-maher-mocks-democrats-double-standard-on-faith-saying-jewish-belief-isnt-welcome-pew-research-center-israel-abdul-el-sayed-zohran-mamdani-james-talarico-cnn-dana-bash-christianity-republican-hasan-piker) — Bill Maher mocks Democrats’ ‘double standard’ on faith, saying Jewish belief isn’t welcome - [KATV](https://katv.com/news/nation-world/bill-maher-mocks-democrats-double-standard-on-faith-saying-jewish-belief-isnt-welcome-pew-research-center-israel-abdul-el-sayed-zohran-mamdani-james-talarico-cnn-dana-bash-christianity-republican-hasan-piker) — Bill Maher mocks Democrats’ ‘double standard’ on faith, saying Jewish belief isn’t welcome - [NewsChannel 8 | KTUL](https://ktul.com/news/nation-world/bill-maher-mocks-democrats-double-standard-on-faith-saying-jewish-belief-isnt-welcome-pew-research-center-israel-abdul-el-sayed-zohran-mamdani-james-talarico-cnn-dana-bash-christianity-republican-hasan-piker) — Bill Maher mocks Democrats’ ‘double standard’ on faith, saying Jewish belief isn’t welcome - [WBFF](https://foxbaltimore.com/news/nation-world/bill-maher-mocks-democrats-double-standard-on-faith-saying-jewish-belief-isnt-welcome-pew-research-center-israel-abdul-el-sayed-zohran-mamdani-james-talarico-cnn-dana-bash-christianity-republican-hasan-piker) — Bill Maher mocks Democrats’ ‘double standard’ on faith, saying Jewish belief isn’t welcome - [WHAM](https://13wham.com/news/nation-world/bill-maher-mocks-democrats-double-standard-on-faith-saying-jewish-belief-isnt-welcome-pew-research-center-israel-abdul-el-sayed-zohran-mamdani-james-talarico-cnn-dana-bash-christianity-republican-hasan-piker) — Bill Maher mocks Democrats’ ‘double standard’ on faith, saying Jewish belief isn’t welcome - [WTVC](https://newschannel9.com/news/nation-world/bill-maher-mocks-democrats-double-standard-on-faith-saying-jewish-belief-isnt-welcome-pew-research-center-israel-abdul-el-sayed-zohran-mamdani-james-talarico-cnn-dana-bash-christianity-republican-hasan-piker) — Bill Maher mocks Democrats’ ‘double standard’ on faith, saying Jewish belief isn’t welcome - [WRGB](https://cbs6albany.com/news/nation-world/bill-maher-mocks-democrats-double-standard-on-faith-saying-jewish-belief-isnt-welcome-pew-research-center-israel-abdul-el-sayed-zohran-mamdani-james-talarico-cnn-dana-bash-christianity-republican-hasan-piker) — Bill Maher mocks Democrats’ ‘double standard’ on faith, saying Jewish belief isn’t welcome - [ussanews.com](https://ussanews.com/2026/08/23/bill-maher-blasts-democratic-party-says-its-fine-with-religion-as-long-as-that-faith-isnt-jewish) — Bill Maher blasts Democratic Party, says it’s fine with religion ‘as long as that faith isn’t Jewish’ - [abc 7 WJLA](https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/bill-maher-mocks-democrats-double-standard-on-faith-saying-jewish-belief-isnt-welcome-pew-research-center-israel-abdul-el-sayed-zohran-mamdani-james-talarico-cnn-dana-bash-christianity-republican-hasan-piker) — Bill Maher mocks Democrats’ ‘double standard’ on faith, saying Jewish belief isn’t welcome - [Twitchy](https://twitchy.com/samj/2026/08/23/bill-maher-democrats-jews-n2431587) — TRUTH-BOMB: What Bill Maher Just Said About James Talarico to Dana Bash's FACE Is PERFECTION - [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2026/08/23/media/bill-maher-blasts-democrats-for-being-fine-with-religion-besides-jewish-faith) — Bill Maher blasts Democratic Party, says it is fine with religion ‘as long as that faith isn’t Jewish’ - [PJ Media](https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2026/08/23/bill-maher-admits-democrat-party-is-antisemitic-n4956453) — Bill Maher Admits Democrat Party Is Antisemitic - [Politics, Policy, Political News](https://politicom.com.au/bill-maher-blasts-democrats-for-becoming-a-party-of-jew-haters-i-said-it-because-its-true-video) — Bill Maher Blasts Democrats for Becoming a Party of Jew Haters: ‘I Said it Because it’s True’ - Politics, Policy, Political Views - [The Gateway Pundit](https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/08/bill-maher-blasts-democrats-becoming-party-jew-haters) — Bill Maher Blasts Democrats for Becoming a Party of Jew Haters: ‘I Said it Because it’s True’ * The Gateway Pundit * by Mike LaChance - [WLTReport](https://wltreport.com/2026/08/22/gop-group-praises-bill-maher-for-calling-out-democrats-antisemitism-hes-right) — GOP Group Praises Bill Maher For Calling Out Democrats’ Antisemitism: ‘He’s Right’ - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/media/bill-maher-blasts-democratic-party-says-fine-religion-as-long-faith-isnt-jewish) — Bill Maher blasts Democratic Party, says it is fine with religion 'as long as that faith isn’t Jewish' - [Washington Times](https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/22/bill-maher-says-democrats-discuss-faith-openly-long-isnt-jewish) — Bill Maher says Democrats can discuss faith openly, ‘as long as it isn’t Jewish’ - [Breitbart](https://breitbart.com/clips/2026/08/22/maher-genocide-rhetoric-dems-spout-promotes-hatred-ossoff-being-jewish-is-a-liability-with-dems) — Maher: 'Genocide' Rhetoric Dems Spout Promotes Hatred, Ossoff Being Jewish Is a Liability with Dems ## Questions **What did Bill Maher say about the Democratic Party's stance on faith?** Bill Maher suggested that the Democratic Party has a double standard regarding faith, stating that a candidate's public faith is accepted "as long as that faith isn't Jewish." **What does the Pew Research Center poll show about views on Israel?** A Pew Research Center poll indicates that 80% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have an unfavorable view of Israel. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 41% hold a negative view. **Which party does the Republican Jewish Coalition say is welcoming to Jewish people?** Sam Markstein of the Republican Jewish Coalition stated that the Republican Party is the only party where American Jews can be proudly Jewish and loudly pro-Israel. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/bill-maher-criticises-democrats-stance-on-faith-and-israel. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Bill Maher criticises Democrats' stance on faith and Israel", https://mediabias.news/politics/bill-maher-criticises-democrats-stance-on-faith-and-israel