The comedian recounted the meeting arranged by Kid Rock, saying it provided an unusual break from political hostility.
The dinner, which Maher described in an episode of her weekly show “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Friday, was arranged by musician Kid Rock, a mutual friend of both men. It took place about two weeks ago at the White House and was intended as an effort to cultivate dialogue rather than division, he said.
Maher opened the segment by rejecting the proposal that the conference was a political summit.
“I have no strength. I am a comedian,” he said. He emphasized that dinner is not a mediating transaction, but rather a exploration of a common foundation among ideological enemies.
“No, I didn’t go to the Maga,” Maher told the audience, noting that there was no pressure to do so.
Instead, he said he met a version of the president whom he believed was different from his public persona.
“The one I met wasn’t the one who tweeted a bunch of annoying crap the night before,” Maher said. “But when I got there, the man didn’t live there.”
He added that Maher is likely to continue to publicly criticize him, regardless of what happened personally.
“But who knows, maybe I’ll prove wrong? Either way, I have a favor for my friend,” he writes.
Maher raised the post in his dialogue, saying that when he said he was critical of everything the president had done the night before dinner, he told him he was wrong.
“It’s not true, check the tape,” he said.
“Did you move the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem? I loved it. The borders needed to be controlled. I’m happy that police officers will regain morale. Dey has gone too far. Biological men should not play women’s sports. Europe should pay for their defense.
During the dinner itself, Maher said the conversation ranged from policy issues such as Iran’s nuclear program to the situation in Gaza. Maher said the president was genuine in his inquiry and not defensive when challenged.
Maher said there were many moments where he joked and contradicted with the president, but he said, “I took it in” and “I didn’t get mad or call him a leftist madman.”
One outstanding moment came when Trump referenced past legal disputes, including Maher. The comedian jokingly said that the president’s father was an orangutan. Maher said he will use gags to counter Trump’s “birth” claim that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. The president reportedly responded with a smile.
Maher said his views had not changed.
“I’m going to be critical of a lot of what he’s doing,” he said. “But I think he understands that he has work to do now.”
According to Maher, the conversation was straightforward and humorous. At one point, the president joked that President Ronald Reagan’s hair was his best quality. Maher replied that Reagan also helped defeat Communism.
“No crazy people live in the White House,” Maher said. “There are a lot of people living in the role of crazy people on TV.”
President Donald Trump with entertainer Kid Rock will sign an executive order on March 31, 2025 at the White House’s oval office. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Trump has not made any public comments about dinner since the dinner began.
