Maher has never been one to love Republicans. But he may be changing his tune.
Now Bill Maher and Donald Trump shocked everyone with an unexpected team up.
A Step Toward Healing?
Maher shared the news during an interview with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo, who asked about the reactions he’s gotten since saying yes. “Maybe this is a beginning to heal America,” Maher suggested.
He was quick to temper any big expectations, though.
“Now, I don’t have some sort of complex where I think I can heal America. I can’t. Okay, let’s get that clear. I’m not going to be healing America,” he clarified. Still, he sees potential in the gesture. “But if two guys who’ve been at each other for so long — I mean, it’s kind of a Nixon to China thing.”
He’s banking on his history for credibility. “I have the credentials,” Maher said.
“There was nobody who was harder on Trump or more prescient about the fact that he wasn’t going to leave office voluntarily than I was. I feel like I have the credentials.” But it’s not just his Trump critiques that give him street cred—he’s also taken heat for slamming the “woke train to crazy town.”
That stance has cost him fans, but he’s not backing down. “The woke people have left the building and I’m willing to make that sacrifice, but it does give you a certain credibility,” he added.
The White House Wow Factor
For Maher, getting the White House invite is a personal milestone, no matter who’s president. “And I’ve already had a couple of people who I said to them, you know, I’m just gonna take it as a backhanded compliment that you glide right past the idea that little Bill Maher from River Vale, New Jersey, just a humble kid from the suburbs was invited for a private dinner at the White House,” he said.
Some folks, he noted, skip the awe and jump straight to outrage. “You glide right past that to how dare you talk to him and that you’re not impressed by it at all.”
He’s not shy about his excitement. “I’m impressed by it a lot,” Maher admitted. “I’m impressed the f*** out of it. I get to go to the White House.” It’s a rare moment for the Jersey kid turned comedy heavyweight, and he’s soaking it in.
A Face-to-Face Experiment
The dinner’s setup is simple: no cameras, just conversation. “Yes, that is the structure of this dinner is just, let’s talk. Let’s talk to each other face to face. Let’s not stop shouting from 3,000 miles away, you know?” Maher explained.
He’s keeping his expectations grounded, though. “So if they expect me to be leaving in a MAGA hat, they’re gonna be very disappointed, but I know they don’t,” he said.
He’s not predicting miracles, but he’s willing to give it a shot. “And I think it’s gonna be, you know, look, it probably will accomplish very little, but you gotta try, man. You gotta try,” he concluded.
For Maher, it’s less about changing the world and more about testing whether two old sparring partners can share a table—and maybe, just maybe, find a sliver of common ground.
