Donald J. Trump is the only current elected official in America taking government stakes in the means of production.

Posted by Real Time with Bill Maher, Oct 24, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 4 support
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 60%

Real Time with Bill MaherOct 24, 2026

Sources consistently show that the Trump administration, which the AP reports the president himself directed, has taken government equity stakes in roughly 30 to 35 private companies, so the core assertion holds as of 2026-10-24. No source addresses whether any other elected official holds such stakes, so the 'only' qualifier rests on silence rather than direct confirmation.

A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… It is communism. It is communism. I'm sorry, but he's just right about it. You're right when you're talking about taking over the means of production and taking over, but you know, there's only one current elected official in all of America that is taking government stakes in the means of production, and that's Donald J. Trump. Okay, but again, that's not really answering the question. I mean, I would love to hear somebody say, you know, you are not the Democratic Party. You are free to do this, but you should take it somewhere else and be your own party. …

Real Time with Bill Maher · Oct 24, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. The AP reports that the president has increasingly directed his administration to take large stakes in private companies, with agreements covering more than 30 companies including Intel and Westinghouse.[1]

Supports. Reason and HuffPost describe federal government stakes in companies such as Intel, MP Materials, and U.S. Steel, which they characterize as government ownership of the means of production.[2][3]

Supports. Cato Institute analysis, as cited by HuffPost, Reason, and a Cato commentary, counts the government as part-owner of about 30 companies, with the practice continuing.[3][4]

Context. No source names any other elected official, such as a governor or member of Congress, taking government stakes in companies, but none explicitly rules this out either. The claim's 'only' is therefore not directly confirmed.

Context. The claim departs slightly from the passage's framing: the post's 'only' refers to elected officials and is a rhetorical point, while the sources document actions by the executive branch rather than by Trump personally.

Sources

4 sources: 1 fact-checker, 2 tier 2, 1 not rated

1Trump slams communists but is looking to impress China's Xiapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
2Trump's 'greatest communist in history' remark isn't just a jokereason.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
3Trump Calls Democrats ‘Communists’ While Acting Like Onehuffpost.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
4Donald J. Trump: The DSA Presidentcato.org · not rated · cited for: supports

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

Real Time with Bill Maher · Oct 24, 2026Post →

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