Michael Moore predicted Donald Trump will win the 2016 election during a recent appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher. The director was clearly reluctant to admit the Republican nominee has enough support to become the next president of the United States. However, he grudgingly acknowledged Trump currently has an advantage in Middle America.

Throughout the election season, Michael Moore has expressed strong opposition to Donald Trump, who he describes as “a clown… a performance artist… a buffoon.” Despite his negative impression of the Republican nominee, the director has conceded that Trump has an incredible number of supporters.

Michael Moore offered an explanation for Donald Trump’s popularity during a June 2016 interview with the Guardian.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed Americans are very alpha. Like, we’re number one! We’re number one! We’re the best! Trump is that on steroids. And it’s a tune that Americans like to listen to. Not all Americans, not the majority, but this isn’t going to be an election about the majority. It’s about who’s going to vote.”

In an effort to inspire all Americans to vote in November’s presidential election, Michael Moore continues to underline the probability that Donald Trump will become the next president of the United States.

Prior to his appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, the director discussed his concerns during a press conference in London, England.

As reported by Us Magazine, Michael Moore admitted Donald Trump is “not as stupid as he looks.” However, he suggests the presidential hopeful is using his intellect to manipulate the voters.

“You should take it very seriously. He knows the manipulation that’s going on here, and the use of propaganda and the way he’s doing it is just brilliant in the way that he is succeeding and has succeeded.”

Although he was an outspoken supporter of Bernie Sanders, Moore said he believes Hillary Clinton “will do some good.” But, he is unsure whether she has enough support to win the election.

During his appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher, Michael Moore explained that, in his opinion, the election will be decided by Middle America, which includes voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Moore’s home state of Michigan. He pointed out the fact that “Mitt Romney lost by 64 electoral votes” and “the total electoral votes of those four states in the Rust Belt [is] 64.”

A native of Flint, Michael Moore is an outspoken liberal political activist who started out as a print journalist. However, he is best known for his political documentary films, which include Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, Roger & Me, and Sicko.

As Hillary Polls Slump, Even Michael Moore Admits “Trump Is Going To Win https://t.co/HxSdsaqkq6 pic.twitter.com/GQIiN0eK4d — Tanya USA (@Tanya_USA) July 21, 2016

As described by IMDB.com, Moore’s latest film, Where to Invade Next, explores “the social costs of corporate interest pursuing profits at the expense of public good.”

Throughout his career, Michael Moore and his films were honored with an Oscar Award for Best Documentary, and awards from the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival, the Aspen Filmfest, the Atlantic Film Festival, and the Cannes Film Festival. Between 1989 and 2016, the director amassed an impressive 45 wins and 28 nominations for his documentary work.

Although his statements on Real Time with Bill Maher are in favor of Donald Trump winning the presidential election, Moore was clearly not endorsing the candidate. Instead, he was simply trying to make voters aware of the possibility to inspire them to vote.

Michael Moore “sorry to be a buzzkill,” but says he thinks Trump will win the election https://t.co/XgVaY6Cl4x pic.twitter.com/ZP9aI2MS9K — Hollywood Reporter (@THR) July 21, 2016

In response to Michael Moore’s unexpected prediction, Bill Maher simply said that “the enemy is complacency.”

In addition to speaking out against presidential hopeful Donald Trump, Michael Moore is currently focusing on raising awareness the water crisis plaguing the residents of his hometown of Flint, Michigan.

[Photo by Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images]