Bill Maher’s feud with Trump escalates with Taylor Swift comparison - The Independent
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.
Bill Maher has responded to Donald Trump’s historic 1,300-word Truth Social rant, escalating their feud.
The recent tension began after Maher, 70, dined with Trump, Kid Rock and ESPN host Stephen A. Smith at the White House on October 15. The late night HBO host then had Trump’s former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on the October 23 episode of his show, Real Time with Bill Maher, during which Maher poked at Trump on various topics.
Trump then launched a Truth Social rant in response.
On Monday’s episode of the HBO host’s Club Random podcast with filmmaker Justine Bateman — recorded prior to Trump’s lengthy social media post — Maher downplayed Trump’s significance. But during Friday night’s episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, the late-night host came out swinging in his first real response to the Truth Social post.
“Did you see the 1,300-word [Truth Social post] he sent out? Longest ever! Kind of a flex,” Maher said during his monologue. “I tell ya, dining at the White House is the opposite of the Cheesecake Factory — after you leave, they review you,” he continued, referencing former President Barack Obama’s viral dig at MAGA from earlier this week.
“He went off on me like Kelly Clarkson in a toy store,” Maher said, referencing the singer’s feud with a Brooklyn shop.
“Eating with Trump is like dating Taylor Swift: It’s a lot of laughs at the time, but later on, they’re tearing you a new a**hole,” he said.
The Independent has approached the White House and Swift’s representative for comment.
“Look, I don’t want it to be this way. The whole point of having these dinners was talk, disagree but listen — which he does, in person — but don’t hate each other,” he said. “I go back to my job here and the heartaches begin. I’m not going to refute everything, but I do have to address a few of the allegations.”
Maher then read from a print out of Trump’s Truth Social rant, methodically going through to address the claims against him.
“It begins: ‘Let’s talk about the complete and total loser Bill Maher’ — you got me there. I’ll own that,” he said, adding, “This is what pisses me off — he doesn’t even notice what I actually said.”
Maher refuted a few different points, including Trump’s claim that the late night host “calls him incessantly.”
“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, plainly not),” Maher said.
He then added that Trump’s claims that Maher “invited himself to the White House” and had “a severely bruised eye and nose area” were false, showing photos of himself from that day sans bruising.
Maher’s latest comments come after he said on his October 23 show that Trump had the “lowest approval rating of any midterm candidate ever,” poked fun at the president’s comments about Senator Jon Husted’s body and asked Leavitt what Trump could be like during the “lame duck” phase of his presidency.
Trump’s Sunday night rant saw the president making a slew of claims about Maher, including a suggestion that the comedian had been desperate 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 seductive and beautiful place, especially now that I have fully renovated and fixed it in the style which it deserves, Bill wanted to come back,” Trump wrote. “The Gofer called me multiple times, saying how much Bill loves me, that he respects me more than anybody, and wants to come back for a second meeting.
“After the second dinner, Bill’s ‘show’ was far worse than the first. He went crazy! He’s gutless, because he enjoyed every minute,” he wrote, adding: “Bill: Don’t call anymore.”
