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Bill Maher says he wouldn’t mind having dinner with President Donald Trump again, months after the political commentator sat down for a meal at the White House with POTUS, UFC head Dana White and musician Kid Rock. During Monday’s episode of Maher’s “Club Random” podcast, the TV host agreed with guest Cheryl Hines that not everything meets the eye with Trump. He also shut down criticism he received for accepting the invitation. The conversation kicked off after Hines noted that the “whole [2024] election was cuckoo birds.” Maher then pointed to a paper he had framed on the set of his podcast with all of the insults Trump has aimed at him over the years. He said the president signed the document when they dined together earlier this year. Claiming that he “earned every one of those” insults from the president, he continued, “You know, it’s not like I was ever deceived before or after I had dinner with him, and I want to have dinner with him again.” “I think he needs more people … and he likes talking to people,” Maher added. Hines, who is married to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., quickly agreed, telling the comedian that she was “surprised” by how “very curious” Trump was when she met him. The actor has been criticized for supporting her husband, an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist. Trump “really likes to listen to people,” she added. Maher interrupted Hines to mention how he had been crucified and “hated” by his critics for saying the same thing about the right-wing political leader, whose actions some have likened to those of a dictator. “I think he actually wants more people around him for a stimulating conversation. I was very surprised. … They hated me for it,” he added, before noting that “so many important people” that he’s met “don’t feel like they’re really listening” when you speak with them. Declaring that he “didn’t get that with [Trump] at all” after sitting down with him, Maher continued, “I got a guy who looked in my eye … was listening to what I said [and] waited until I finished, even when it was contradictory.” “He never got blustery or mad about [our opposing opinions]. He said some things that I don’t agree with and some things that I think are just, you know, plainly not right, like, you know [him running for a] third term.” Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of running for a third term since at least 2020, and even went as far as selling “Trump 2028” merchandise beginning back in April. The move is barred by the Constitution. Maher’s commentary on the dinner previously drew harsh criticism, with Democratic strategist James Carville adding to the chorus, The Hill reported at the time. “I think Bill Maher was had. He went there and he talked about how charming and measured Trump was,” Carville said. “This was the same guy that day was reveling in a guy who was illegally deported to El Salvador and refused to bring him back, who loves to hurt people, loves to inflict pain.” Watch Maher’s “Club Random” podcast below.
