New rule: if I’m going to criticize the President of the USA, then I’m going to eat dinner with the President of the USA. That will as nicely have been one of many no-no’s to start out Friday’s episode of “Actual Time With Invoice Maher,” which opened with the host detailing his March 31 go to to the White Home to satisfy with President Trump. Maher, who’s been an outspoken critic of the Commander-in-chief since earlier than his first presidential time period, recounted the night in a prolonged monologue on the prime of the present.

“Let me first say that to all of the individuals who handled this prefer it was some form of summit assembly, ‘You’re ridiculous,’” Maher began off. “Like I used to be going to signal a treaty or one thing? I’ve no energy. I’m a fucking comic.”

Maher then touted that he received the president to signal a sheet of paper itemizing quite a few insults that Trump had levied towards Maher through the years, together with “low-life” and “his present is lifeless.” However the host’s tone modified shortly after that.

“The man I met shouldn’t be the man who the evening earlier than the dinner shit-Tweeted a bunch of nasty crap about how this dinner was a foul thought and what a deranged asshole I used to be,” Maher stated. “Only for starters: he laughs. I’ve by no means seen him snicker in public. However he does, together with at himself. He’s not pretend.”

Maher famous a standout second whereas touring the White Home: “I don’t keep in mind what we have been speaking about, however it should’ve been one thing with the 2020 election. As a result of I do know he distinctly used the world ‘misplaced.’ And I stated, ‘Wow, I by no means thought I’d hear you say that.’ He didn’t get mad. He’s rather more self-aware than he lets on in public.”

The host additionally shared that he remained “not MAGA” and that the dialog coated his personal criticisms of the Trump admin, together with its collapse of President Obama’s 2015 take care of Iran to restrict the nation’s nuclear program. He additionally stated that he praised Trump for signaling for DEI having “gone too far,” laws towards trans athletes and ongoing help for Israel navy motion in Gaza. Maher famous that his takeaway from the President’s personal candor with him was “emblematic of why the Democrats are so unpopular today.”

“Look, I get it. It doesn’t matter who he’s at a personal dinner with a comic. It issues who he’s on the world stage. I’m simply taking it as a constructive that this individual exists. As a result of every little thing I’ve ever not favored about him was — I swear to God — absent, at the least on this evening with this man,” Maher stated. “He largely steered the dialog to, ‘What do you concentrate on this?’ I do know: your thoughts is blown. So is mine.”

“A loopy individual doesn’t dwell within the White Home. An individual who performs a loopy individual on TV loads lives there, which I do know is fucked up,” Maher added. “It’s simply not as fucked up as I assumed it was.”

Maher had beforehand teased that he had a lot to share about his March 31 assembly with Trump, sharing a submit on X the next morning to say, “Hey everyone, thanks for all of the curiosity in my dinner with the president final evening – I promise, all will likely be revealed on the following [‘Real Time’] … Because it’s April 1 at this time, nobody would imagine what I stated at this time anyway!”

The dinner was organized by musician Child Rock, a longtime supporter of Trump and one in all his extra outspoken followers from the leisure trade. Child Rock was current for the assembly between Maher and the president.

Since Maher’s assembly with Trump, the administration has confronted heightened criticism for inflicting mass tariffs towards all U.S. commerce companions, a transfer that led to historic each day collapses within the international inventory market. After saying the coverage on April 2, President Trump has since ordered a 90-day pause on international tariffs, although the admin has hiked insurance policies on China to 145%, spurring retaliatory tariffs from the nation and placing the world’s two largest economies in a commerce warfare.

Maher acknowledged the change within the information cycle on the prime of his monologue: “He put tariffs on each nation on the planet and naturally the inventory market plunged. And the following day he went, ‘Properly, I didn’t say ‘Simon says.’”

Company on this week’s episode of “Actual Time” included Steve Bannon, Piers Morgan and Josh Rogin.