During his HBO show on Friday night, Bill Maher finally revealed all the details of his meeting and dinner with President Trump at the White House.
Maher seemed most genuinely surprised to learn that President Trump is nothing like the character he is portrayed as by the media. He said that Trump was gracious, funny, and completely able to laugh at himself.
Bill said that he is not going ‘MAGA’ but you can tell that his mind was changed on some things, mainly his perceptions.
Variety has some details:
Maher then touted that he got the president to sign a sheet of paper listing numerous insults that Trump had levied against Maher over the years, including “low-life” and “his show is dead.” But the host’s tone changed shortly after that.
“The guy I met is not the guy who the night before the dinner shit-Tweeted a bunch of nasty crap about how this dinner was a bad idea and what a deranged asshole I was,” Maher said. “Just for starters: he laughs. I’ve never seen him laugh in public. But he does, including at himself. He’s not fake.”
Maher noted a standout moment while touring the White House: “I don’t remember what we were talking about, but it must’ve been something with the 2020 election. Because I know he distinctly used the world ‘lost.’ And I said, ‘Wow, I never thought I’d hear you say that.’ He didn’t get mad. He’s much more self-aware than he lets on in public.”
The host also shared that he remained “not MAGA” and that the conversation covered his own criticisms of the Trump admin, including its collapse of President Obama’s 2015 deal with Iran to limit the country’s nuclear program. He also said that he praised Trump for signaling for DEI having “gone too far,” legislation against trans athletes and ongoing support for Israel military action in Gaza. Maher noted that his takeaway from the President’s private candor with him was “emblematic of why the Democrats are so unpopular these days.”
Maher is not entirely complimentary here and he uses some cuss words, as usual, but this is worth watching in full.
Bill Maher’s full ‘book report’ on his meeting with Trump at the White House:
“As you know, 12 days ago I had dinner with President Trump, a dinner that was set up by my friend Kid Rock. Because we share a belief: That there’s gotta be something better than hurling insults from… pic.twitter.com/GPZW94KhnD— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) April 12, 2025
Greg Gutfeld has said many times that Trump comes off very differently, and more positively, when people meet him in person. If Bill Maher is any indication, perhaps Trump should meet more of his critics.
