Liberal comedian Bill Maher recently sat down with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for his “Club Random” podcast to discuss a wide range of topics, including the Trump indictments, big tech, marijuana, and more.
In one friendly exchange, Maher even offered some advice to the entrepreneur who’s taken part in a number of activities on the campaign trail that he admitted make his staff “nervous.”
In addition to playing tennis shirtless and playing Richard Nixon’s piano, Ramaswamy has broken out into rapping Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”
As conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong asked when posting video from the Iowa State Fair, is this “based or cringe?”
Vivek Ramaswamy raps. Based or cringe? pic.twitter.com/lHlp5qSPck
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 12, 2023
From Maher’s perspective, it's the latter.
“Don't do that again," Maher advised.
"Oh, why not?" Ramaswamy wondered.
"Because it didn't turn out well for Kendall Roy on ‘Succession,'" Maher responded, referencing the HBO show.
"Guys who are not rappers rapping is just-- I'm telling you just as a friend," Maher continued.
"My view, Bill, is I do what I feel like doing at that moment," Ramaswamy said.
"Yes, that's the problem," Maher replied. "The idea of president ‘I do what I want at whatever moment' is not, like, an appealing thing. I see why your team is trying to take you away--just the rapping. Tennis is great."
At another point in the interview Maher complimented Ramaswamy as a "good talker" and a "likable guy."
"I think you really could go far," he told the candidate.
According to RealClearPolitics' average of national polling, Ramaswamy, at 7.1 percent, trails former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP presidential primary.