Trump critic Bill Mayer has US president sign unusual gift during 'gracious' meeting

Comedian Bill Maher and US president Donald Trump certainly have their differences, but in a surprising twist, Maher has said his recent meeting with the Republican in the White House saw him spend time with a man who was “gracious and measured”, rather than the “crazy” individual seen on TV.

Maher met with Trump following an invitation from mutual friend and “All Summer Long” singer Kid Rock - real name Robert Richie.

And this was despite the US president writing on Truth Social that he was agreeing to meet with Maher as “a favour for a friend” and that he “really didn’t like the idea much”.

He also described the comedian as “a man who has been unjustifiably critical of anything, or anyone, TRUMP”.

Yet it seems the pair were able to put their differences to one side, as Maher shared that he had Trump sign a sheet of paper containing “almost 60” insulting things the Republican had said about him, which he did.

“Which he did with good humour, and I know as I say that, millions of liberal sphincters just tightened,” Maher said.

He shared that Trump laughs, “including at himself” and it is “not fake”, adding that he is “much more self-aware than he lets on in public”.

Maher continued: “Look, I get it, it doesn’t matter who he is at a private dinner with a comedian, it matters who he is on a wild stage. I’m just taking it as a positive that this person exists, because everything I’ve ever not liked about him was – I swear to God – absent, at least on this night with this guy.”

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The presenter also admitted he “never felt I had to walk on eggshells around him” and claimed he “would never feel comfortable” talking to Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton in the way he felt able to with Trump, despite voting for the two Democrats.

Maher even referenced a previous lawsuit involving Trump, who once sued him over an “orangutan” joke, during the dinner, explaining that it was made in response to the Republican’s “low” attacks on “Obama’s birth origins”, and said the politician responded with “a little smile”.

He went on to add: “A crazy person doesn’t live in the White House; a person who plays a crazy person on TV a lot lives there - which I know is f***** up, it’s just not as f***** up as I thought it was.”

Maher was also frank with Trump and told him “you’re scaring people” and asked: “Do you really want to be scaring your own citizens so much?”

He admitted he couldn’t remember the answer, but that “it wasn’t ‘OK, I’ll stop’”.

Yikes.

Maher concluded the monologue by stressing Trump was “gracious and measured” and that he “wasn’t high”, joking that that was a “missed opportunity”.

And the comedian’s account - perhaps predictably, given its political nature - has divided the internet:

One commenter branded the whole thing “absolutely pathetic”:

However others took a more supportive stance, with one account stating “having respect for your fellow human being is the first step to understanding one another”:

And political commentator Brian Krassenstein claimed those attacking Maher are “focussing on the wrong things and really don’t care about fixing them”:

While Trump hasn’t commented on Maher’s monologue, senior adviser Elon Musk has expressed support for the account, sharing it on his X account on Saturday.

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