Comedian Bill Maher openly called for the next recession during a panel discussion on Friday night’s “Real Time” on HBO.

He said that he was willing to accept that it would hurt the American people in the short run as long as it meant getting rid of President Trump.

Video: @BillMaher: “One way you get rid of @realDonaldTrump is a crashing economy, so please bring on the recession. Sorry if that hurts people, but it’s either root for a recession or lose your democracy.” #RealTime #TTT pic.twitter.com/wSd6jNYueC — Brent Baker (@BrentHBaker) June 9, 2018

Maher noted that, at the moment, the American economy appears to be doing well. Unemployment rates are at record lows, and average citizens are eating up the “crumbs” delivered by the Republican-led Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. (RELATED: Bill Maher Defends Trump-Orangutan Joke In The Wake Of Roseanne Fallout)

But he cautioned that the other shoe may be poised to drop at any moment — and admitted that he hoped it would happen soon enough to derail President Trump’s re-election efforts.

I feel like the bottom has to fall out at some point. And by the way, I’m hoping for it. Because I think one you get rid of Trump is a crashing economy. So please, bring on the recession. Sorry if that hurts people, but it’s either root for a recession or you lose your democracy.

MSNBC analyst John Heilemann, who was also part of Maher’s panel discussion, claimed that President Trump’s rhetoric on the economy was confusing at best. He pointed out the two extremes, saying that the president appeared to alternate between claiming that the economy was doing well and calling for tariffs to fix the nation’s massively unfair economic disadvantage. He concluded, “Are we having a good economy or a bad economy? Because if it’s a good economy, why not just let it ride?”