Donald Trump launched a lengthy attack on comedian Bill Maher on Truth Social, just days after hosting him at the White House for what the president described as an enjoyable evening.
In a post published Sunday night, Trump called Maher a “complete and total loser,” while insisting that his own approval ratings remain strong. He also praised Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s appearance on Maher’s program, despite accusing the host of asking questions as a “biased, dumb SLEAZEBAG.”
Trump and Maher have maintained a contentious relationship for years. Trump once sued the comedian over a joke suggesting his father was an orangutan, while Maher later apologized for an inaccurate claim he made about Trump on air in August.
Despite their history, the two have periodically attempted to ease tensions, including a private dinner at the White House earlier this month.
Even so, Trump returned to attacking Maher on Sunday, labeling him a “COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSER” and mocking the comedian’s “Low Rated Show” on HBO. The president contrasted it with his own former program, The Apprentice, which he described as a “Top Hit Show.”
Trump also claimed that Maher had repeatedly pleaded for him to appear on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher.
Trump launched an extended Truth Social attack against Maher on Sunday night.
Maher appeared on his HBO program over the weekend.
Trump accuses Maher of lying
“When I became President, I agreed to meet, after the first one, and the last one, but never agreed to do his show, which he wants me to do, DESPERATELY — It won’t happen!” Trump wrote.
“When I have watched the show, which isn’t often, it always ends with dishonesty, about me at least, but, who cares?”
Trump continued by accusing Maher of relying on “Fake Polls,” saying the comedian had claimed the president was experiencing his lowest ratings and had lost support among Republicans.
“I have High Ratings and, more importantly, he said that I’m losing the support and approval of the Republican Party when, in fact, CNN just came out with a Poll showing that I’m at 98 and 99% support within the Republican Party, an All Time Record High,” Trump wrote.
“Bill Maher lied, but he lies about everything,” the president added, arguing that viewers no longer find the comedian funny.
Trump then revisited the White House dinner, which also included musician Kid Rock and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.
He claimed Maher had invited himself to their first dinner at the White House in March 2025 and later pushed to be invited back.
Maher returned to the White House for a dinner on October 15 with Kid Rock and Stephen A. Smith. Trump said he initially believed the gathering had gone well.
“After the first dinner, Bill Maher was friendly, I guess, everyone walked away pleased. He gave me a good first show, with lots of Laughing Machine laughter, which is a real term, but it is what it is, and then reverted back to his former self, and his old ways,” Trump wrote.
The president went on to suggest that Maher does not genuinely believe the views he expresses on his program and instead tailors his remarks to appeal to his audience.
Trump’s blistering criticism followed Maher’s response to backlash over the dinner, with the comedian saying he had actually enjoyed spending time with the president.
Maher and Trump attended the Emmy Awards together in September 2004.
Former Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had appeared on his show, with Trump praising her in his post as being ‘great’.
Trump is pictured with Maher during his first visit to the White House.
Maher mocks Trump’s approval ratings
But in his opening monologue, Maher claimed: ‘Trump has the lowest approval rating of any midterm candidate ever.
‘Only 1 percent of the Republicans are mentioning him in their ads. It’s gotten really bad.’
When he then went on to speak about the dinner, the comedian said: ‘There is just something thrilling about being announced when you’re in the White House, when you’re outside the Oval Office, and you hear the aide say, “Sir, your 7 o’clock low-ratings dummy is here”.’
He continued: ‘I mean, we talked about a lot of things. The Supreme Court, ICE shootings, abandoning the Afghans who helped us during the war, Hegseth is dragging you down, sir.
‘When you say “Obama is not a centrist,” your racism is showing. Please don’t name the ocean after yourself. What else, losing the 2020 election. I was at the Reflecting Pool that day, it looked like [Expletive].’
Later on in the episode, Maher spoke with Leavitt, who joked that her successor Katie Zacharia suffered the same fate as contestants on The Apprentice.
Maher responded by joking that he hopes ‘I’m not next’ after his second visit to the White House to dine with Trump, because ‘I still have some things I wanna say.’
Leavitt defended Trump in her interview with Maher in the episode that aired Friday.
Inside Washington’s ‘toughest job’
Leavitt also empathized with Katie Zacharia, who received brutal reviews for her first and only White House press briefing.
‘It’s a tough job, it’s a very tough job, people say it’s one of the hardest jobs in Washington. I give anyone who steps up to that podium credit because only 37 people in history have been the White House Press Secretary.’
Leavitt ultimately agreed with Trump’s decision to ease her out of the job within a week.
‘That pressure in that room is enormous, the press are vicious and I give her credit for standing up there and as the President said, it wasn’t a good fit. That’s okay, I wish her well, we’re onto the next.’
When Leavitt was then asked how the president would react to Republicans losing in the midterm elections, she noted: ‘The president does have a way of defying history.
‘He was in the Oval Office not once, but twice and every poll said he would not make it there,’ she pointed out.
‘So I think he’s working really hard to turn Republicans out to vote, so let’s wait and see before jumping to conclusions,’ Leavitt then pleaded with Maher, before touting how the president worked with Democrat DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Maher then responded that he thought reports that the Trump administration was limiting Starlink access in Ukraine is ‘unconscionable.’
Maher admits Trump ‘does listen’
But, the comedian admitted, the president ‘does listen when he’s in that White House. He looks you in the eye, he never interrupts, he never gets mad. He listens.’
Following her appearance on the show, Trump praising Leavitt in his post as being ‘great’ while branding Maher a ‘dumb sleazebag’.
Trump added: ‘There were so many other falsehoods Bill spewed, but I won’t waste time in FACT CHECKING him. He isn’t worth it.’
At that point, the president directed his message to Maher himself, telling him not to ‘call anymore’ and calling him a ‘coward who is afraid to tell the truth about how well our Country is running because of your few “fans,” and how badly the Dumocrats have done, almost destroying the U.S.A.
‘You’re not transformative, you’re a Loser!’ the president continued. ‘I never watched your show much, but I will never watch it again, because it is nothing more than FAKE NEWS that America, and the World, is unfortunately subjected to.’
The post from the president comes just a few days after Trump told reporters: ‘The dinner last night with Kid Rock and Stephen A. [Smith] and Bill Maher was great. I think they had a good time. We talked about everything. It lasted a long time.’
Maher also said Trump was ‘gracious and measured’ in what he described as a positive meeting with the president back in March of 2025.
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