Bill Maher shared how he plans to act when he meets President Donald Trump at the White House. He joked about what he won’t wear to the event.
“I’m not going to dress like Zelenskyy,” Maher said on his Club Random podcast with comedian Andrew Schulz. He was referencing the Ukrainian president’s laid-back outfit during a recent Oval Office visit with Trump.
“Not a f---ing lululemon outfit… Zelenskyy pulled up looking like a yoga instructor,” Schulz added, cracking up.
Schulz praised Trump’s openness to speak with anyone. He said that trait helped Trump win – and that Kamala Harris’ hesitance to do the same contributed to her loss.
Both comedians agreed: real conversation matters. Maher gave Trump credit for being willing to talk with someone who’s roasted him for years.
“Who’s been meaner than me?” Maher asked.
“JD Vance,” Schulz shot back.
Maher said his staff gathered a five-page list of Trump’s insults toward him over the years. Trump called him “crazy” and said his show was a “ratings disaster.” Maher didn’t take it personally.
“I don’t care, and he doesn’t care,” Maher said.
He brushed off criticism about meeting Trump at all. To him, refusing the invitation would feel like petty “mean girl” stuff he’s tired of seeing from the left.
“I’m not playing this game that you mean girls play, where they’re like, ‘Oh, you know what? You can’t sit at my lunch table because I’m just not talking to you,’” Maher said.
He compared the Trump dinner to meeting an ex-girlfriend’s dad, a military vet who didn’t agree with him politically. But Maher earned the man’s respect by showing up and being real. He said that’s exactly how he’ll handle Trump—respectfully.
“You have to respect that, the guy did win. It's more than half the country… you can not like Trump, you can hate him, but you can’t hate everybody who voted for him… I don’t hate half the country and I don’t want to hate half the country,” Maher said.
“It’s an honor to be invited to the White House under any circumstances.”