Bill Maher Praises Trump For Being ‘Gracious and Measured’ During White House Visit: “Much More Self-Aware Than He Lets On”

On Friday’s section of Real Time, big Bill Maher opened up astir a astonishing gathering he had past week pinch erstwhile President Donald Trump astatine nan White House. Maher said nan brushwood was acold much cordial and humorous than he ever anticipated.

“You tin dislike maine for it, but I’m not a liar. Trump was gracious and measured,” Maher said. “And why isn’t that successful different settings—I don’t know, and I can’t answer, and it’s not my spot to answer. I’m conscionable telling you what I saw, and I wasn’t high.”

Maher poked nosy astatine nan media frenzy surrounding nan meeting, joking that group acted for illustration it was “some benignant of summit” arranged by their communal acquaintance, Kid Rock. He recovered nan hype astir it “ridiculous.”

“I person nary power. I’m a f—ing comedian, and he’s nan astir powerful leader successful nan world!” Maher exclaimed. “I’m not nan leader of anything, isolated from possibly a contingent of centrist-minded group who deliberation there’s sewage to beryllium a amended measurement of moving this state than hating each different each minute.”

During nan meeting, Maher brought on a printout of Trump’s past insults directed astatine him. Surprisingly, Trump took it successful stride and moreover signed it pinch what Maher described arsenic “good humor.”

“And I cognize arsenic I opportunity that, millions of wide sphincters conscionable tightened. ‘Oh, my God, Bill, you gonna opportunity thing bully astir him?’ What I’m gonna do is study precisely what happened,” Maher said, clarifying that he “didn’t spell MAGA” and was nether nary unit to do so.

Maher noted really stunned he was to spot Trump laugh—really laugh—including astatine himself.

“And it’s not fake. Believe me, arsenic a comedian of 40 years, I cognize a clone laughter erstwhile I perceive it,” Maher said.

According to Maher, Trump besides seemed “much much self-aware than he lets connected successful public.” When nan 2020 predetermination came up during their tour, Trump didn’t respond angrily—even erstwhile Maher referenced Trump’s uncommon admittance of having lost.

“Look, I get it. It doesn’t matter who he is astatine a backstage meal pinch a comedian. It matters who he is connected nan world stage. I’m conscionable taking arsenic a affirmative that this personification exists. Because everything I’ve ever not liked astir him was, I committedness to God, absent astatine slightest connected this nighttime pinch this guy,” Maher said.

Maher contrasted Trump’s demeanor pinch that of different salient figures he’s met.

“I’ve had truthful galore conversations pinch salient group who are overmuch little connected, group who don’t look you successful nan eye, group don’t really perceive because they conscionable want to get to their adjacent thing… None of that was him, and he mostly steered nan speech to ‘What do you deliberation astir this?’ I know, your mind is blown. So is mine.”

He emphasized really relaxed he felt passim nan meeting.

“I ne'er felt I had to locomotion connected eggshells astir him,” he told his audience. “And honestly, I voted for Clinton and Obama, but I would ne'er consciousness comfortable talking to them nan measurement I was capable to talk pinch Donald Trump. That’s conscionable really it went down. Make of it what you will. Me? I consciousness it’s emblematic of why nan Democrats are truthful unpopular these days.”

One of nan astir bizarre moments for Maher came later that nighttime erstwhile he turned connected 60 Minutes and saw a clip of Trump astatine a rally.

“And I’m like, ‘Who’s that guy? What happened to Glinda nan Good Witch?'” Maher quipped. “‘And why can’t we get nan feline I met to nan nationalist guy?’ And I’m not saying it’s our work to do that. It’s not. I’m conscionable reporting precisely what I saw complete two-and-a-half hours. I went into nan mine, and that’s what’s down there.”

Reflecting connected nan experience, Maher said nan Trump he met was thing for illustration nan characteristic he often sees connected TV.

“A crazy personification doesn’t unrecorded successful nan White House, a personification who plays a crazy personification connected TV a batch lives there, which I cognize is f—ed up. It’s conscionable not arsenic f—ed up arsenic I thought it was, and I person nary illusions now that I’m backmost to activity astatine my job, that he mightiness commencement a caller list,” Maher said, holding up Trump’s past jabs astatine him. “Because I don’t person a bully emotion and will beryllium captious astir a batch of what he’s doing—the waste and acquisition warfare and disappearing people, ruling by decree, threatening judges, gutting nan authorities pinch glee.”

Even so, Maher believes Trump sewage nan connection that he’s conscionable doing his job.

“But I besides deliberation he now understands I person a occupation to do, aliases astatine slightest he did connected this night, because he said to maine early connected that he’d seen our past episode, which was nan Friday earlier this dinner, and he said, ‘I thought possibly you’d beryllium nice, but you deed maine really hard.’ I did because I’m not going to propulsion my punches that presidents get to propose a 3rd word for themselves. He understood that, and without animus, that doesn’t mean he’s not going to effort to do it,” he continued.

Maher said he didn’t time off nan White House pinch thing material—just immoderate hats and a astonishing magnitude of clip and openness from Trump.

He recounted his favourite portion of nan evening: a shared infinitesimal betwixt nan 2 wherever they acknowledged proceeding from group who appreciated their gathering and disapproved of those trying to forestall it.

“Don’t talk, arsenic opposed to what? Writing nan aforesaid editorial for nan millionth clip and making 25-hour speeches into nan wind. Really, that’s what liberals have? He takes nan piss retired of everybody else, and we tin clasp ours?” Maher continued, poking nosy astatine nan long-winded level reside precocious made by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.

You tin watch nan clip supra and drawback caller episodes of Real Time pinch Bill Maher connected Fridays astatine 10 p.m. ET connected HBO.