“Real Time” host Bill Maher shared details on Friday of his recent meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, noting that Trump was more gracious and good-humored than expected.
Maher stated, “You can hate me for it, but I’m not a liar. Trump was gracious and measured. I don’t know why that doesn’t show in other contexts, and it’s not my place to answer that. I’m just recounting what I saw, and I wasn’t under the influence.”
Maher ridiculed those who treated the White House visit as a major summit brokered by their common friend, Kid Rock, deeming it “absurd.”Â
“I have no influence. I’m a comedian, and he’s the most powerful leader in the world!” Maher exclaimed. “I’m not in charge of anything other than perhaps a group of centrist individuals who believe there must be a better way to govern this country than constantly hating each other.”
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HBO’s Bill Maher said Trump autographed a printout of insults the comedian brought along that the president has leveled against him over the years. (Screenshot/HBO)
Maher presented Trump with a list of insults the president had directed at him over time, which Trump signed with “good humor.”
“And I know as I say that, millions of liberal sphincters just tightened. ‘Oh, my God, Bill, you gonna say something nice about him?’ I’m simply reporting what occurred,” Maher remarked, adding that he “didn’t join the MAGA movement. To his credit, the president didn’t push it.”
The HBO host was surprised by Trump’s laughter, mentioning he had never witnessed Trump laughing publicly before, telling his viewers, “He does, even at himself.”
“And it’s genuine. Trust me, as a comedian of 40 years, I recognize a fake laugh when I hear one,” Maher stated.Â
Maher praised Trump for being “more self-aware than he presents publicly,” disclosing that the topic of the 2020 election was discussed during his White House visit, and that he “didn’t become upset” when Maher broached Trump’s rare acknowledgment of defeat.
“You know, it doesn’t really matter who he is at a private dinner with a comedian. What does matter is who he is on the world stage. I’m taking it positively that this person exists. Because all the things I’ve disliked about him in the past were, I swear to God, not evident at least on this night with this individual,” Maher reflected.Â
“I’ve had countless interactions with notable individuals who are far less engaged, individuals who avoid eye contact, individuals who aren’t really attentive because they just want to move on to their next task… He wasn’t any of that, and he mostly shifted the conversation to ‘What are your thoughts?’ I know, your mind is blown. Mine too.”
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Maher stated “I never felt I had to walk on eggshells” around President Trump. (Screenshot/HBO)
Maher mentioned there were multiple instances where he made jokes at Trump’s expense or disagreed with him on various topics, but there were no issues between them.
“I never felt like I had to tread carefully around him,” he informed his audience. “And honestly, I voted for Clinton and Obama, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable conversing with them the way I was able to converse with Donald Trump. That’s just how it played out. Interpret it as you wish. For me, it’s a reflection of why Democrats are unpopular nowadays.”
Maher recalled the “most surreal” moment of the whole experience was returning home to watch “60 Minutes” and witnessing a clip of Trump from a podium “ranting” and hurling insults.Â
“And I thought, ‘Who’s that guy? What happened to Glinda the Good Witch?'” Maher joked. “‘And why can’t we see the person I met in public?’ I’m not saying it’s our job to do so. It isn’t. I’m simply recounting precisely what I observed over two-and-a-half hours. I delved into the depths, and that’s what was there.”
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“A lunatic doesn’t reside in the White House; an individual who portrays a lunatic on TV frequently resides there, which I know is messed up. However, it’s not as messed up as I had believed, and now that I’m back working at my job, it’s possible he might compile a new list,” Maher stated, holding up the printout of Trump’s insults towards him. “Because I have a bad feeling and will criticize a lot of what he’s doing – the trade war, disappearing individuals, governing by decree, threatening judges, gleefully dismantling the government.”Â
“But I also think he now grasps that I have a responsibility to fulfill, or at least he did on this day, because early on he told me he watched our previous episode, which was the Friday before this dinner, and he remarked, ‘I thought maybe you’d be kind, but you hit me quite hard.’ I did because I won’t pull my punches when presidents suggest a third term for themselves. He understood that, and without hostility, it doesn’t mean he won’t attempt it,” he elaborated.Â
Maher insisted the Trump he met at the White House is not the Trump everyone sees on TV. (Screenshot/HBO, Getty Images)
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Maher left the White House with nothing but “hats and a very generous amount of time and a willingness to listen and accept me as a possible friend, even though I’m not MAGA, which was the point of the dinner.”
He further recounted his favorite moment being when both he and Trump acknowledged hearing from many who appreciated their dinner together and how they agreed they didn’t like those who were against their meeting.
“What’s the alternative, instead of talking? Writing the same editorial for the millionth time and delivering 25-hour speeches into the void. Seriously, is that what liberals have? He skewers everyone else, and we can’t take it? Maher added, taking a swipe at Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.’s recent lengthy Senate speech.
