Former MSNBC star Keith Olbermann (pictured right) has furiously slammed Bill Maher for going to the White House to have dinner with President Trump. The sports commentator likened the chummy sit down to ‘[adult work]’ in an explosive rant against the comedian. Olbermann’s harsh words came after Maher sat down with Trump last week at a dinner brokered by their mutual friend Kid Rock.

The sit down left a positive impression on Maher, who came away hailing Trump’s sense of humor and his prowess as a politician. His glowing review sparked panic on the left and marked a stark contrast to his usual levels of contempt for the president. Several prominent liberals voiced their disapproval, including Olbermann.

‘Don’t overanalyze Maher [sacrificing] himself to Trump,’ he said on X. ‘Maher works for the same fascists at Warner who took over and corrupted CNN. ‘I’ve known Bill since 1978. He was a shameless opportunist with no real principles then and he remains so. This is so he can keep his HBO show.’

Real Time host Maher has already been forced to defend his decision after he was accused of falling into ‘Trump’s trap’, by Washington Post reporter Josh Grogin (pictured) during his show. The panel discussion with Piers Morgan and Rogin grew tense as Rogin accused the host of ‘playing the game of proximity is principle.’ ‘I think you’ve fallen into the trap; I think I represent 99 percent of the internet when I say this,’ Rogin said to Maher. ‘What people are worried about is not your motivation, we believe you. We love you, Bill. I’m not questioning your motivation, I’m questioning Trump’s… If we can say that you went there in good faith, but maybe – just maybe- he wasn’t there in good faith.’

But Maher hit back, accusing Rogin of ‘patronizing’ him and defending the president. ‘You can hate me for it, but I’m not a liar. Trump was gracious and measured,’ Maher said. ‘And why isn’t that in other settings? I don’t know, and I can’t answer, and it’s not my place to answer. I’m just telling you what I saw, and I wasn’t high.’ The longtime Trump critic paid the president his highest compliment to date following their meeting.

‘Trump is one of the most effective politicians,’ Maher stated during a sit-down with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo on his Club Random podcast. ‘Whatever you think of the policy and him as a person… just as a politician.’ For Maher who has consistently roasted Trump on his HBO show Real Time for nearly a decade, it was a rare acknowledgment of Trump’s political instinct and his hold on the American electorate. 

Maher recalled two specific moments that forced even him, an avowed Trump skeptic, to stand back and applaud the sheer audacity of the president. The first involved Trump’s handling of the Taliban during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. ‘When he did that thing where the guy came in from the Taliban and he said, “This is an aerial picture of your house. If during our withdrawal one American is hurt, just know I know where you live,”‘ Maher said. ‘I was like, oh can we just play the music now? Because I don’t care it’s Donald Trump and he’s the worst person ever, blah, blah, blah – I [Expletive] love that!’

The second thing Maher paid Trump credit for, was for his street-level bravado. ‘One time they were doing something, something was going on and he said, “You know what? When you come after New York, you got to go through me.” It’s like, oh – hometown boy,’ Maher added. He also revealed that he departed the dinner with a cheeky gift after he printed out a list of all the disparaging comments the president has made about him and had him sign it.

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