HBO's Bill Maher calls on the news media to calm down and give a proper perspective to their coverage of COVID-19.



"Now that we’re starting to see some hope in all this, don’t hope-shame me," the "Real Time" host said. "You know, the problem with nonstop gloom and doom is it gives Trump the chance to play the optimist, and optimists tend to win American elections."



"FDR said, ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ You know, as full of s–t as he is, I could see Trump riding that into a second term."



"So, look, if this insanity happens again, news sources have to rein it in. Everyone knows Corona is no walk in the park. Because you literally can’t walk in the park. But at some point, the daily drumbeat of depression and terror veers into panic porn," he added. "Enough with the 'life will never be the same' headlines. ... Everything looks scary when you magnified it a thousand times."



"Giving the proper perspective isn’t a cover-up of the truth. It is the truth... We need the news to calm down and treat us like adults... Trump calls you fake news. Don’t make him be right."