Bill Maher Dishes On Dinner With Trump, Calls Him 'Gracious And Measured'
The "Real Time" host, who recently lobbed preemptive insults at critics of the meeting, recounted it Friday in a lengthy monologue.
Bill Maher recounted his recent White House dinner with President Donald Trump in a lengthy monologue on HBOâs âReal Time,â and as his prior comments about the sit-down suggested, the longtime critic became somewhat enamoured with the MAGA leader.
âLet me first say that, to all the people who treated this like it was some sort of summit meeting, youâre ridiculous,â Maher said Friday at the top of his monologue. âLike I was going to sign a treaty or something? I have no power. Iâm a fucking comedian.â
Advertisement
The Democratic pundit sat on a stool for the âMr. Maher Goes To Washingtonâ segment and presented a piece of paper with all the insults Trump has lobbed at him in the past, and happily announced that the president signed it during their meeting â12 days ago.â
The moment prompted rabid cheers from an audience, which has heard Maher criticise Trump for more than a decade now. Maher confirmed last month that their meeting was officially scheduled, and preemptively countered the backlash at the time by stating, âFuck you.â
âYou can hate me for it, but Iâm not a liar,â Maher said Friday. âTrump was gracious and measured. And why isnât that in other settings, I donât know, and I canât answer and itâs not my place to answer. Iâm just telling you what I saw, and I wasnât high.â
Advertisement
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on April 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
SAUL LOEB via Getty Images
Trump announced steep international tariffs on all imports to the US mere days after the meeting. The declaration upended markets and sparked fears of a global recession, only for Trump to reverse course on most affected nations, except for China.
Maher notably supported Democratic candidates such as former President Barack Obama and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in past elections, but also frequently criticised his party for various policies and arguable failures in messaging or tone-deaf narratives.
Advertisement
While he recently confirmed he wonât be joining the Republican Party, Maher was charmed by Trump.
âI never felt like I had to walk on eggshells around him,â he said Friday. âAnd, honestly, I voted for Clinton and Obama, but I would never feel comfortable talking to them the way I was able to talk with Donald Trump. Thatâs just how it went down. Make of it what you will.â
âI feel itâs emblematic of why the Democrats are so unpopular these days,â Maher said.
Maher previously shed light on the meeting on his âClub Randomâ podcast and said at the time that Trump is âone of the most effective politicians.â On Friday, he said he held the Trumpâs feet to the fire about floating a potential third, unconstitutional presidential term.
âAt one point, I said to him, âYouâre scaring people. Do you really want to be scaring your own citizens so much?ââ Maher said during his monologue. âAnd I know youâre all saying, âAnd what did he say to that?â Honestly, I donât remember. But it wasnât, âOK, Iâll stop.ââ
Advertisement
âSo MAGA fans, donât worry,â he continued. âYour boy gave me nothing, just hats. Hats and a very generous amount of time and a willingness to listen and accept me as a possible friend, even though Iâm not MAGA, which was the point of the dinner.â
Donald Trumpus newsPoliticsBill MaherEntertainment News
|
Submit a tip