Overtime with Bill Maher: Chris Christie, Chrystia Freeland (HBO)

What this episode is about

The discussion features Chris Christie and Chrystia Freeland exploring the implications of a president's legal actions, particularly the controversial trend of suing individuals and entities, including government agencies. Christie reflects on the unchanging nature of political figures and the societal divides that prevent open dialogue on political disagreements.

Key takeaways

• In a world where presidents sue, perhaps the Constitution should add a 'no werewolf' clause.
• Dinner and debate: Politics shouldn't break bread, but every meal should have a side of honesty.
• Keto cures schizophrenia? If only diets could solve all our political issues as well!
• Boy Scouts cutting ties: Just another reminder that political correctness isn't always the best policy.
• Trump's naming rights proposal? Proof that some shamelessness is truly beyond the reach of art.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Bill Maher (Host) · 5 min speaking
• Chris Christie (Guest) · 4 min speaking
• Chrystia Freeland (Guest) · 3 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Chris Christie, Christopher Freeland
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
3. 9:00 – 12:00: Mark Carney, Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill

Notable quotes from "Overtime with Bill Maher: Chris Christie, Chrystia Freeland (HBO)"

• Okay. He's the former Republican governor of New Jersey who's a contributor now for ABC News, Chris Christie. And she's the former deputy prime minister of Canada, Christopher.

  about Chris Christie · at 0:00

• Medical expert. Okay. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

  about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. · at 3:44

• So anyway, do you agree that he said Prime Minister Mark Carney said that we're witnessing a rupture in the world order? He gave a very powerful speech at Davos a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure Trump didn't like that, but he it.

  about Davos · at 10:12

• Kind of weird saying this not being an American, but like America is really great. And I actually I think Winston Churchill was right when he said America does the right thing…

  about Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill · at 11:46

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Chris Christie — Person · Main guest · 2 mentions · first at 0:00
  Serves as the Republican panelist/guest commenting on Trump, GOP behavior, and U.S. political norms; also referenced as an ABC News contributor.
• Christopher Freeland — Person · Main guest / panelist (Canadian perspective) · 1 mention · first at 0:06
  Introduced as former deputy prime minister of Canada and provides commentary on U.S. reliability, global order, and Canada–U.S. relations; discusses Mark Carney and Davos remarks.
  Governor of New Jersey who's a contributor now for ABC News, Chris Christie. And she's the former deputy prime minister of Canada, Christopher Freeland.
• Mark Carney — Person · Referenced political leader · 2 mentions · first at 9:29
  Cited as Canadian prime minister (as stated in the episode) and as the speaker of a Davos address about a 'rupture in the world order,' anchoring the Canada/U.S./China geopolitical discussion.
  Prime Minister Mark Carney said that we're witnessing a rupture in the world order? He gave a very powerful speech at Davos a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure Trump didn't like…
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — Person · Referenced public figure · 2 mentions · first at 3:02
  Mentioned in a newsy aside about health claims (keto diet allegedly curing schizophrenia), used as a punchline/critique of credibility.
• Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill — Person · Referenced historical figure · 1 mention · first at 11:51
  Quoted to underscore a hopeful narrative about U.S. self-correction in global leadership and democratic values.

Places & events

• Davos — Place · Setting · 3 mentions
  Mentioned as the location where Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a significant speech about the world order.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Okay. He's the former Republican governor of New Jersey who's a contributor now for ABC News, Chris Christie. And she's the former deputy prime minister of Canada, Christopher Freeland. Uh, okay. For the panel, should there be a law that says the president can't sue people? Well, he's suing everybody. I mean, he is that is one thing that he never changed one bit from from when he I mean, he sued me, remember, with theang orangutang thing. And let's not bring that up. apologize for that?

0:30 No. no. Why would I have apologize? I thought you had supper with him and you talked about it.

0:37 Yeah, I had supper with him. I didn't apologize. This is one of my frustrations. People get the facts wrong.

0:42 Sorry. That's okay. But, you know, it's not whether I had dinner with him. It's what I said about him after dinner, right? Which is I have never pulled a punch. I came back on the show and did what I always did. Some people stopped watching the show because I had dinner with him. If you watch the show, who's harder on him than I? No one. And and so no, I didn't apologize. And by the way, what why shouldn't you do that, right? Like why should And that's part of the problem with our country right now is that families won't have dinner with each other if they disagree on politics. And and by the way, you said that's one way he hasn't changed.

1:21 I've known him for 24 years. What way has he changed? No. None. None. None. Like he's basically the same person. Oh yeah. That I met in 2002.

1:31 No, being president does not change his MO at all. The majesty of the responsibility

1:38 has not weighed upon him. But the idea that you're I mean no, you know, we didn't put it in the Constitution that the president can't sue people or anybody or anything or his own government, which he's trying to do, suing the IRS, suing the Justice Department, because they didn't think it would be like putting in a clause that said he can't turn into a werewolf. You know, it's like they just never thought it would come up.

2:08 Yeah. We can't we can't get all over Adams and Madison over this one. They just there was no

2:13 who knew. Uh okay. How would you grade Mayor Mandan's Ma'am Donniey's handling of New York sto snow snowstorm last month? Well, you were in the area.

2:23 Yeah. Um I'd give him a C cuz he seemed to move a bunch of the snow but couldn't figure out how to do anything else when that was going on. Didn't pick up the garbage. You walk through. All my kids live in New York City. I've been there since the snowstorm. The the garbage is piled up everywhere. But you know the one place, Bill, that is pristine, the garbage is gone and the you there's no ice even on the sidewalk in front of Gracie Mansion.

2:51 Is that true? It's absolutely true. And so so like socialist socialist like take care of my thing first.

2:58 Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss boy. Um I read this today in the paper. RFK says uh keto the keto diet. You know what that is? Keto like almost

3:10 it's like only protein. No, no, it's it's mostly fat, I think. And no carbs. No carbs. It's fat.

3:16 A lot of butter. Yes. Is it's it's you know what it's what Jack Lain Anybody remember Jack Lane? I mean even before my time I just but like in the 1950s it was he and bodybuild were saying they were saying let's do and this is they kind it kind of came back into style. Uh, he's suggesting it it cures schizophrenia.

3:38 Who would know better? Who would know better? Um, medical expert. Okay. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

3:49 Other items I just saw in the news. Uh, Pete Hegth says the War Department, which we used to call the defense department, is going to

3:57 still do. Only they call it the War Department. I mean I mean it is a re we used to call it that. George Washington called it that.

4:10 Yeah. A little bit different back then. Yeah. Anyway, they're going to whatever they are. They're going to cut ties with the Boy Scouts.

4:20 I didn't know we had ties with I didn't know there was a liaison. Maybe the Boy Scouts asked them to do that. No, I No, I don't think so. I think this is coming. I think Well, first of all, the Boy Scouts did let in girls.

4:36 That does seem crazy. Little That does seem crazy. Then we have the Girl Scouts, too.

4:41 Girls, girl guides. They are. But why? Yeah, right. It's Girl Guides, Boy Scouts right?

4:47 It's Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts. Girl Scout cookies. Girl Scout cook. Am I missing something?

4:51 You don't have that in. We have Girl Guides. We have Girl Guides. Boy Scouts. Girl Guides.

4:57 Girls. Guides. Okay. Okay. Well, same thing. What what the point whatever country we're talking about, what other name we're talking about the fact that it's okay to have just a group of one sex, gender, whatever we want to call it in the formative years when they perhaps have interests that don't coalign with the other group. I mean, boys,

5:20 how dare you, Bill? How dare you? Is that not progressive enough that should we always should the Boy Scouts have girls? It just seems

5:35 ridiculous. And I think for girls it can often really be great especially young girls to be on their own.

5:44 Much better for girls. Very important for girls sometimes not to have boys around. Even more important for the girls. Yes, I would agree.

5:52 Um okay. Um Trump is going to want this. We didn't even get to this story. That's how crazy this country is.

6:02 He's willing to make a deal with Chuck Schumer. Oh, yeah. To unfreeze funding for infrastructure projects that Schumer wants if Schumer agrees to name Penn Station and Delos Airport after the president. I I I it's brought he's brought shameless to an art form. I in in somebody's darkest moment, somebody's darkest moment, they might say they lived in New York City all their life. God, wouldn't it be great if Penn Station were named after me? But do you ever say it out loud? Like it's it's But you know what? You're not surprised, are you?

6:53 Yeah. Not generally. No, but specifically yes. I mean I mean like if he if tomorrow he he I mean he already renamed the Gulf of

7:04 Mexico. Mexico the Gulf of America. If tomorrow was Donald Trump presents the Gulf of America.

7:11 The the Trump Kennedy Center. Yeah. The Trump Kennedy Center. Uh so I guess you seen that yet? I drove by it with the name on it and it's the Donald Shut down.

7:20 Well, yeah. Well, because no one will go there. But the the the Donald J. Trump. Here's the interesting part because he doesn't again deal in subtlety. The sign says the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Arts Center.

7:41 Yeah. I mean, yeah. I read the paper every day. I miss that. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I have a question for you, Governor.

7:57 Oh, sure. I think one of the reasons the Epstein stuff has been so riveting is it's what all these rich and powerful people say to each other. Yes.

8:06 When we're not listening. So, I want to know what do Republicans say to each other when we're not listening about what's happening in America right now? Look, so many of my fellow party members especially come up to me because I say all this stuff out loud and they they in the green room at ABC, you're so brave. That's so great. I totally agree with you. He's nuts. And then they go out on camera to be interviewed. They the greatest president since Abraham Lincoln, you know, and then they come back in the green room and they say to me, you know, I have to do that, but like I don't really mean it.

8:42 That's what they say. by who specifically? All right, Bill. Over time's not long enough to give you all the names, but I'll give you one. Lindsey Graham,

9:07 which by the way was what he was saying when he was running for president in 2016. But I guess if you get invited to play golf, then off you go.

9:18 Well, knock me over with a feathered boa that I'm wearing with a silk robe. Um, do you uh This is for Christiania. Do you agree with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney? Is that who you ran against in the primary?

9:34 It is. He's also my son's godfather. Oh, wow. That must have been an interesting campaign.

9:39 We were We were We were friendly. Canadian campaigns are so different. They're so nice.

9:44 They just they don't they don't get They're nice. They They really are. Look guys, we have a democracy and we're not having a fight inside our country right now about how to count the votes. So, I'd say please absolutely dissing them. You have nice campaigns. We don't.

10:00 I I mean, I've been in Canada when elections were going on and saw on the local TV the attack ads and I just laughed out loud. I mean, they're just they're they're what they consider an attack. We we wouldn't.

10:12 So anyway, uh do you agree that he said Prime Minister Mark Carney said that we're witnessing a rupture in the world order? He gave a very powerful speech at Davos a couple of weeks ago. Um I'm sure Trump didn't like that, but um he it seemed to be saying to a lot of the world, as you said before, we can't rely on the United States and we seem to be driving China uh you know into the other countries rather into arms of China. I mean, you know, there was an old song, I want to be around to pick up the pieces when somebody breaks your heart. Well, we broke a lot of hearts and China's like, I'm going to pick up the pieces.

10:50 Yeah. I look, I I think it was a brilliant speech. I think it was really, really important. And I think it's really sad. And, you know, I would say to you influential Americans, to Americans here, we really like you. Like Canadians like America.

11:11 Yeah, we No, we do actually. And we respect And why wouldn't you? We're still awesome.

11:16 Actually, no. Actually, you are awesome and you have done so much as a country.

11:24 Yes. And the world, especially the world's democracies, will be really much poorer if you guys don't get your act together. Because a world in which we need to start relying on China. This is not a world where human rights matter. This is not a world where democracy matters. And like I feel kind of weird saying this not being an American, but like America is really great. And I actually I think Winston Churchill was right when he said America does the right thing after trying everything else first. So, could you please like finish trying the other stuff and start doing the right thing?

12:07 All right, we'll end it there. Thank you, Chris. Thank you, people.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Overtime with Bill Maher: Chris Christie, Chrystia Freeland (HBO)"?

Bill Maher (Host), Chris Christie (Guest), Chrystia Freeland (Guest).

What is "Overtime with Bill Maher: Chris Christie, Chrystia Freeland (HBO)" about?

The discussion features Chris Christie and Chrystia Freeland exploring the implications of a president's legal actions, particularly the controversial trend of suing individuals and entities, including government agencies. Christie reflects on the unchanging nature of political figures and the societal divides that prevent open dialogue on political disagreements.

What is mentioned in this Real Time with Bill Maher episode?

6 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Chris Christie, Christopher Freeland, Davos, Mark Carney, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Overtime with Bill Maher: Chris Christie, Chrystia Freeland (HBO)"?

The episode runs 12 min; the transcript is about 2,034 words in 49 timestamped sections.

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