WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump on Saturday described a 2025 White House dinner with Bill Maher as “a total waste of time” and labeled the HBO host a “jerk,” escalating a public dispute sparked by Maher’s recent commentary on Trump’s social media posts.
The president’s lengthy post on Truth Social characterized Maher as “extremely nervous” during the meeting, claiming the talk show host requested a “Vodka Tonic” within seconds of entering the Oval Office and confessed to feeling “actually scared.” Trump wrote, “He came into the famed Oval Office much different than I thought he would be…He said to me, ‘I’ve never felt like this before, I’m actually scared.’ In one respect, it was somewhat endearing!”
Trump’s criticism followed Maher’s defense of his decision to dine with the president, an encounter that drew criticism from some of his viewers. During a CNN international interview shared on Facebook, Maher reportedly described those who stopped watching his show after the dinner as “idiots,” arguing that his continued criticism of Trump on air demonstrated he hadn’t been swayed by the meeting. Maher maintained that the relevant question wasn’t *why* he had dinner with Trump, but *what* he said afterward.
The president’s post also took aim at Maher’s on-air commentary, specifically referencing Maher’s mockery of Trump’s recent Truth Social post suggesting China would eliminate ice hockey in Canada. Trump accused Maher of failing to acknowledge his administration’s accomplishments, listing a series of achievements including border security, crime reduction, economic gains, military actions, and foreign policy successes. He cited statistics such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaching 50,000 and the S&P 500 reaching 7,000, as well as a claimed low of 1.2% inflation over the past three months.
Trump further asserted that Maher is “no different” than other late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert, but “slightly more talented.” He dismissed Maher as “a highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT” and mocked his television ratings, claiming they were too low for his “various fake news statements” to gain traction. Trump also accused Maher of suffering from “a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS!),” a diagnosis he has frequently applied to critics.
“Regardless, I’d much rather spend my time MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN than wasting it on him,” Trump concluded in his post.
The exchange follows a reported dinner between the two in 2025, a meeting Trump initially appeared to view favorably. According to Trump’s Saturday post, Maher was initially “very respectful” in his commentary following the dinner. However, that assessment has clearly shifted, with the president now characterizing the encounter as unproductive and Maher himself as a “jerk.”
