Maher Doubles Down On Trump Meeting
Outspoken HBO host pushes back against media backlash after Oval Office visit with President Trump.
In a surprising twist that has liberal elites fuming, HBO’s Bill Maher is defending his controversial White House meeting with President Donald Trump—saying he used the face-to-face moment to deliver blunt truths that “needed to be said.”
Maher’s meeting, which was reportedly arranged by musician and Trump supporter Kid Rock, took place in March inside the Oval Office. During Friday’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the longtime liberal comedian broke his silence—and hit back at the critics attacking him online.
Maher said he refused to take the coward’s route, unlike Michigan Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who recently visited the Oval Office and tried to hide from cameras behind a stack of folders.
“She was in the same room I was in weeks earlier,” Maher said, showing an image of Whitmer covering her face. “There are a lot of ways to handle the Oval Office. That wasn’t mine. If you’re afraid to face people, you’re not in control.”
Maher said he looked President Trump in the eye and didn’t hold back. “I didn’t go there to kiss the ring,” he said. “I told him directly—people are scared, and you lost the middle election.”
Despite his criticism, Maher admitted that having a seat at the table with Trump was more powerful than hiding behind hashtags or partisan talking points. “You have no power if you’re not in the room,” Maher said. “And Trump’s going to be there for four more years. That’s a long time to sit in silence.”
Critics have blasted Maher for daring to meet with the 45th—and likely 47th—President of the United States. But Maher says they’re reacting to headlines, not facts.
“People don’t care what I actually said. They just react to clickbait,” Maher told his audience.
Meanwhile, Gov. Whitmer attempted to laugh off her bizarre photo-op, saying she simply “didn’t want her picture taken” at the White House.
“I kind of wish I hadn’t put the folder in front of my face,” she said. “But we all have our moments.”
While some Democrats hide, others are finally realizing that President Trump isn’t going anywhere. And as Maher just proved—if you want to be heard in this country, you have to show up.
