“It was a total waste of time for me to have this jerk at the White House,” said President Donald Trump of comedian and talk show host Bill Maher in a Saturday X post.
He didn’t specify exactly when Maher – who is known to lean liberal but can have controversial stances – came to the White House for dinner. However, Trump said that the comedian asked to meet through one of their mutual friends.
According to the president, Maher was “extremely nervous,” when he visited the Oval Office. He also said the TV host “had ZERO confidence in himself and, to soothe his nerves, immediately, within seconds, asked for a ‘Vodka Tonic.’”
“He said to me, ‘I’ve never felt like this before, I’m actually scared.’ In one respect, it was somewhat endearing!” Trump elaborated.
Maher has been the host of “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO since 2003. Prior to that, he hosted “Politically Incorrect” on Comedy Central and then ABC before it was canceled. He’s also toured as a standup comic and was recently nominated for a Golden Globe award for one of his comedy specials.
Despite generally being on different sides of the political aisle, Trump said that he and Maher had a “great” dinner and that he “seemed to be a nice guy.”
What changed his tune? Well, hockey. Sort of.
To get a full picture, we have to go back to early last year, when Trump announced tariffs on many major U.S. trade partners, including China and Canada. Since then, the typically positive relationship between the U.S. and Canada has become frostier, and Canada recently announced a new strategic trade partnership with China.
Trump has previously said he thinks that China will “eat Canada alive,” and threatened not to endorse members of the GOP who moved against tariffs. He weighed in on the deal again Monday in a Truth Social post that also touched on a new bridge planned from Canada to Michigan.
Regarding the partnership between China and Canada, Trump said the “first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.” Ice hockey is a beloved sport in Canada.
Maher read the post during a recent episode of his show and was clearly bewildered.
“Why would China take over… destroy hockey?” he said.
This is what annoyed the president.
“He went on and on about the Hockey statement, like ‘What kind of a person would say such a foolish thing as this,’ as though I were being serious when I said it,” said Trump, who clarified that the statement was a joke.
Trump laid into Maher a bit more, adding that “his Television Ratings are so low that nobody will learn about his various Fake News statements about me. He is no different than Kimmel, Fallon, or Colbert but, I must admit, slightly more talented!”
Jimmy Kimmel of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was notably temporarily booted off air last year over statements he made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter. Trump has also bashed Kimmel in Truth Social posts before. The cancellation of Colbert’s “The Late Show” on CBS was rumored to be related to the merger of Paramount parent company CBS and Skydance Media, a company owned by the son of a prominent Republican donor.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Maher’s show was doing well enough as of January to warrant being renewed for two more seasons, with shows slated through 2028. It’s 24th season premiered on Jan. 23 and shows are aired on HBO and can be streamed on HBO Max.
“Anyway, Bill Maher is a highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT, and Republicans should stop using him to show how the Left is coming over our way – Our Base, the Greatest of All Time, laughs at your weakness when you do it!” Trump added in his Saturday Truth Social post.
He also said that Maher asked to come to the White House again but did not make another trip there.
“Regardless, I’d much rather spend my time MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN than wasting it on him,” said the president. “Bill continues to suffer from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS!), and there is nothing that will ever be done to cure him of this very serious disease.”