Several members of the liberal media are furious after “Real Time” host Bill Maher detailed his dinner with President Donald Trump at the White House. The meeting was arranged by their mutual friend, Kid Rock. Maher described Trump as “gracious and measured” and suggested the private Trump was very different from his public persona. “I never felt I had to walk on eggshells around him,” Maher said. “And 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.”
Maher’s comments lit up social media, especially among liberals. Substack writer Wajahat Ali posted, “Congrats, @billmaher. You got played by Trump. Easy mark. He used you like a fiddle.” Keith Olbermann chimed in, calling Maher a “shameless opportunist with no real principles,” accusing him of trying to keep his HBO show alive.
Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor Leslie Marshall also criticized Maher’s motives, calling the visit “self-serving.” She likened it to the post-election Mar-a-Lago visit by MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. “How can anyone who views Trump as a ‘threat to democracy’ go break bread with him unless it involved their bottom line?” she asked.
“When you over-explain, you're guilty,” Marshall told Fox News Digital. “I guess we'll find out in a few months if this was a bad decision for him based on ratings and subscriptions.”
The Washington Post ran a critical piece titled, “Trump charmed Bill Maher. The comedian’s fans don’t find it funny.” The report included backlash from Reddit users and social media, many threatening to stop watching Maher’s show. One Oakland lawyer criticized Maher for lacking “empathy” toward those hurt by Trump’s policies.
Washington Post columnist León Krauze went further, comparing Maher’s softened view of Trump to historic flattery of authoritarian leaders like Hitler and Stalin. “By agreeing to meet with Trump, allowing himself to be privately charmed... Bill Maher has made the task of holding Trump accountable that much more difficult,” Krauze wrote.
During a “Real Time” panel discussion, Washington Post global security analyst Josh Rogin directly told Maher he was a “prop” in Trump’s “PR stunt.” MSNBC host Ayman Mohyeldin echoed that view, accusing Maher of being used and contributing to the “normalization of Trumpism.”
But not all liberals condemned the meeting. Fox News contributor Richard Fowler said he saw no issue with it. “I think if you stay inside the Washington, D.C., beltway, it’s very easy to live inside of a political silo,” he said.
Fowler argued that while Democratic voters may dislike the idea, Republicans currently hold significant power. Having a direct conversation with Trump, even if unproductive, is still a strategic move. “It’s a tool in the Democratic Party’s toolkit,” he said.