Bill Maher torches LeBron James, John Cena, Eileen Gu for 'kowtowing' to China

The "Real Time" host blasted those who refrain from criticizing China for what seems to be their own financial self-interest

"Is that cool now, to choose to represent a totalitarian police state over America?"  "In America, we're supposed to root for democratic government, not apologize for it!"  "That's the deal China offers American companies and celebrities: We'll give you access to our billion-plus consumers as long as you shut up about the whole police-state-genocide thing." "Someone has to tell me where we got this rule that you can't criticize China because I suspect we got it from China. Because after all, it's where we get everything else."

"Is that cool now, to choose to represent a totalitarian police state over America?" Maher asked. "The Olympics pretends to only be about sports but of course, the games have always been a bit of a proxy war for which country has the best system. And by choosing Team China, Eileen Gu became a living symbol of China's triumph over the West, which wouldn't bother me so much if I thought China had triumphed over us in the ways that really matter. But they haven't.