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Bill Maher responded to Donald Trump’s historic 1,300-word speech on Truth Social, escalating their feud.
The recent tension began after Maher, 70, had dinner with Trump, Kid Rock and ESPN host Stephen A. Smith at the White House on October 15. The HBO late-night host then hosted Trump’s former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on the Oct. 23 episode of his show, In Real Time with Bill Maherduring which Maher criticized Trump on various topics.
Trump then went on a Truth Social rant in response.
On Monday’s episode of the host’s HBO show Random club podcast with filmmaker Justine Bateman — recorded before Trump’s lengthy social media post — Maher downplayed Trump. But during Friday night’s episode In Real Time with Bill Maherthe late night host came out in fine form in his first real response to the Truth Social post.
“Did you see the 1,300 word message (Truth Social post) he sent? Longest ever! Kind of a bender,” Maher said during his monologue. “I tell you, dining at the White House is the opposite of the Cheesecake Factory: After you leave, they vet you,” he continued, referring to former President Barack Obama’s viral MAGA dig earlier this week.
“He came after me like Kelly Clarkson in a toy store,” Maher said, referring to the singer’s feud with a Brooklyn store.
“Eating with Trump is like hanging out with Taylor Swift: You laugh a lot in the moment, but later they rip you a new hole,” he said.
The Independent has contacted the White House and Swift’s representative for comment.
But Maher didn’t stop there.
“Look, I don’t want it to be that way. The point of those dinners was to talk, to disagree but to listen – which he does in person – but not to hate each other,” he said. “I return to my job here and the heartbreak begins. I’m not going to refute everything, but I have to respond to a few allegations.”
Maher then read an excerpt from Trump’s Truth Social rant, methodically examining the allegations against him.
“It starts: ‘Let’s talk about complete and utter loser Bill Maher’ – you got me there. I admit it,” he said, adding: “That’s what pisses me off – he doesn’t even notice what I actually said.”
Maher rebutted various points, including Trump’s claim that the late-night host “keeps calling him.”
“I’ve never called you. You call me! I’d be afraid to call you – you’re the president, I think you’re too busy (well, clearly not),” Maher said.
He then added that Trump’s claims that Maher “invited himself to the White House” and had “badly bruised eyes and nose” were false, showing photos of him from that day without bruising.
Maher’s latest comments come after he said on his Oct. 23 show that Trump had “the lowest approval rating of any candidate in the midterms,” mocked the president’s comments about Sen. Jon Husted’s body and asked Leavitt what Trump might be like during the “lame duck” phase of his presidency.
Trump’s rant on Sunday night saw the president make a series of claims about Maher, including a suggestion that the comedian had desperately wanted to dine at the White House after meeting Trump there previously.
“No sooner had we had that first dinner at the White House, which is a very attractive and beautiful place, especially now that I have completely renovated it and furnished it in the style it deserves, Bill wanted to come back,” Trump wrote. “The Gofer called me several times to tell me how much Bill loves me, that he respects me more than anyone and that he wants to come back for a second meeting.
“After the second dinner, Bill’s ‘show’ was much worse than the first. He went crazy! He is gutless, because he enjoyed every minute of it,” he wrote, adding: “Bill: Don’t call again.”
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