Sen. Adam Schiff walked into an awkward moment on Bill Maher’s show after criticizing a statement about presidential war powers, only to learn the quote actually came from former President Barack Obama’s administration.
The exchange unfolded Friday on HBO’s “Real Time,” when Maher read a statement defending a president’s authority to launch military action without explicit approval from Congress.
“The president had the constitutional authority to direct the use of military force because he could reasonably determine that such use of force was in the national interest,” Maher read aloud, asking Schiff whether that language sounded too vague.
“Totally vague…” Schiff replied, beginning to criticize the standard before Maher cut him off.
Bill Maher sets up Sen. Adam Schiff by reading a vague quote justifying military action. Schiff blasts it as “totally vague,” assuming it’s about Trump’s Iran strikes.
Maher then reveals: “Okay, cause that’s from Obama about Libya.”pic.twitter.com/PqNdpCeDqA
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) March 7, 2026
“Okay,” Maher interjected, revealing the twist. “Because that’s from Obama about Libya.”
The quote came from an April 1, 2011 opinion issued by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel during the Obama administration.
The memo argued that the president possessed the authority to launch military action in Libya because he could determine it served the “national interest.”
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA): “Right now, Russia reportedly providing intelligence to Iran about how to more successful target American forces… What’s happening with our allies.”
Bill Maher: “Well, allies. Russia now has lost Syria. They’ve lost Venezuela. They’re going to lose… pic.twitter.com/Xqe4zRyVXh
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) March 7, 2026
Schiff quickly pivoted away from Libya and moved the discussion toward a different conflict during Obama’s presidency.
The California Democrat pointed to the debate over U.S. military action in Syria after former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA): “When Saddam [Hussein] fell there were celebrations. 20 years later not so many celebrations.”
Bill Maher: “20 years later, Iraq is actually in a pretty good place. People don’t talk about that. Iraq is a much better country than it was… That kind of… pic.twitter.com/lhBLGb7bXi
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) March 7, 2026
Obama initially argued he could move forward with strikes against Assad without congressional approval, Schiff noted. But lawmakers pushed back.
“Ultimately,” Schiff explained, Obama chose not to proceed after concluding he might lose a vote in Congress.
“Even though Assad was gassing his own people,” Schiff remarked, Obama refrained from ordering strikes because “he thought he may lose the vote in Congress.”
Schiff added that he respected Obama’s decision to defer to lawmakers. “The fact that he did not have the support of Congress meant that we weren’t going to go forward,” the senator said.
The conversation then turned toward President Donald Trump’s current military operation targeting Iran.
Schiff argued that the United States is now “unquestionably at war” and warned that the Constitution gives Congress the power to decide whether military conflicts should begin.
America’s founders deliberately structured the system that way, Schiff said, citing warnings from Alexander Hamilton about concentrating war powers in the executive branch.
Hamilton believed presidents could grow “too fond of making war” if they were able to launch conflicts without approval from Congress, Schiff explained.
The senator suggested Trump has already shown a willingness to use military force across multiple regions.
“After Venezuela, after the earlier Iran conflict, after bombing Nigeria and Iraq and Syria,” Schiff argued, the president has “grown too fond” of military strikes.
Schiff warned lawmakers that failing to assert their authority could permanently weaken Congress.
“Congress needs to step up,” he cautioned, arguing that the institution risks losing its war powers entirely if presidents continue acting without authorization.
Otherwise, he said, presidents could eventually feel free to start conflicts “anywhere in the world” and continue them for “any length of time.”
“That would be hugely dangerous for the country,” Schiff said.
The debate over Trump’s military authority intensified this week in Washington.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives narrowly voted to allow the president to continue Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign targeting Iran.
A bipartisan resolution introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., attempted to block Trump from using American armed forces in the operation.
The measure failed by a vote of 212 to 219 after four Democrats joined most Republicans in opposing it.
If the resolution had passed, it likely would have forced the U.S. bombing campaign to halt.
While Schiff sparred with Maher over war powers, the late-night host also devoted a large portion of his show to mocking Trump for repeatedly attacking him on social media.
Maher told viewers the president posted a series of insults about him even while providing updates about the Iran conflict.
Bill Maher, who had both Adam Schiff and Don Lemon on his show, apologizes to his liberal audience.
"We bombed Iran, and it’s going on now. If you expected me to say I hate it, I don’t. Sorry." pic.twitter.com/ffcrzBolS7
— Gays For Trump (@GaysForTrump) March 7, 2026
“Around 9am,” Maher recalled, Trump announced the United States would continue bombing Iran until the country surrendered.
“An hour later,” Maher said, “eight posts about me.”
The comedian told his audience that Trump alternated between discussing the war and attacking him personally online.
“And then 15 minutes later,” Maher joked, the president “went back to the war.”
Trump’s posts included links to news stories about Maher along with insults aimed at the comedian and his HBO show.
In one message, the president referred to Maher as a “jerk” and accused him of having “ZERO confidence in himself.” Trump also claimed a dinner he had with the host at the White House was a “waste of time.”
Maher admitted the flurry of posts left him puzzled. “It’s getting weird,” the comedian remarked.
He joked that he was relieved he did not stay overnight after visiting the White House. “Thank God I didn’t spend the night,” Maher quipped.
Bill Maher: “I woke up Saturday to a BLISTERING social media text from [President Trump]… He was very mad at me because I didn’t get his joke about how China was going to make Canada give up hockey.”
“I didn’t. I think we’re going to have to workshop that one for a while. So… pic.twitter.com/w67Je6juZp
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) February 21, 2026
The host said he currently supports Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict but warned that could change if the president sends U.S. troops into the country.
“We’ll see,” Maher said, adding that deploying “boots on the ground” would cross a line for him.
Trump has previously criticized Maher following jokes about his policies.
Earlier this year the president blasted the HBO host in a lengthy Truth Social post after Maher mocked one of his comments about Canada potentially aligning with China.
Maher reminded viewers that Trump’s post included claims about their private dinner that he believes were exaggerated.
“Sometimes in life you waste time!” Trump wrote in the message before describing Maher as “extremely nervous” during their meeting.
The president claimed the comedian quickly asked for a “Vodka Tonic” to calm his nerves and admitted he felt “actually scared” inside the Oval Office.
Trump went on to label Maher a “highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT” and predicted few people would hear the comedian’s “Fake News statements” because of his supposedly weak television ratings.
Maher pushed back on several details of Trump’s version of events.
“And then I’m a jerk, and I’m at low ratings,” Maher said on Friday, explaining that the president appeared upset because he never stopped criticizing him.
The comedian also disputed Trump’s description of the dinner itself. “He said I immediately asked for a drink,” Maher recalled. “OK, it was a margarita. It was not a vodka.”
Maher insisted the meeting lasted hours and said he never felt nervous. “Bulls—,” he declared while rejecting Trump’s claim that he appeared frightened.
The host said he even received backlash from liberals after telling audiences that Trump behaved differently in private than he does in public.
“I got so much s— from the left,” Maher remarked, explaining that he had described Trump as “very nice” and “very gracious” during their meeting.
Maher later returned to the subject during his “New Rules” segment and joked that the president might suffer from “Bill Maher Derangement Syndrome.”
He told viewers the dinner conversation lasted nearly three hours and included a back-and-forth text exchange with Trump afterward.
According to Maher, the president complained that the comedian still belonged to what he called the “lunatic left.”
Maher responded with his own jab. “You should have won a Nobel Prize for ending wars,” Maher recalled Trump writing.
Maher said he shot back with a joke of his own. “Yeah, and I should have 120 Emmys,” the comedian replied.