Bill Maher said this week that his unusual connection with President Donald Trump did not end with their White House dinner.
He revealed that Trump still sends him angry texts as their public feud continues. Maher explained that Trump “yells” at him over text and complains that he is part of what Trump calls the “lunatic left.”
Maher discussed the messages in a CNN interview and he returned to the topic on Friday during HBO’s “Real Time,” where he responded to Trump’s latest attacks and shared new details about their relationship.
Maher stated that Trump’s account of their March 2025 White House dinner was incorrect on several points. He noted that he did not ask for the meeting, was not nervous, and stayed for nearly three hours. He also mentioned that the drink he ordered was a margarita, not vodka.
The latest exchange of barbs followed a Truth Social post from Trump in February. Trump described the dinner as “a total waste of time” and called Maher a “highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT.”
Maher replied on “Real Time” by stating that Trump suffers from “Bill Maher Derangement Syndrome,” flipping one of Trump’s favorite insults back on him. Maher acknowledged Trump’s successes on issues like Israel, NATO, and marijuana policy but argued that this does not prevent him from criticizing the president.
In the CNN interview, Maher said the texts showed Trump was still watching and reacting to his commentary. When asked if Trump contacts him directly, Maher replied, “Yes! Yelling at me!” according to Mediaite’s account of the interview. Maher added that Trump scolds him for staying linked with the “lunatic left,” even after their in-person meeting.
Maher’s comments add another chapter to a relationship that has captured attention since his dinner with Trump at the White House last year.
The meeting was arranged by Kid Rock, according to reports about Maher’s earlier explanation, and sparked criticism from some of Maher’s audience, who viewed the dinner as too friendly for a president Maher had long mocked on television. Maher has insisted that the dinner did not soften his political views and stated that Trump was very different in person than he is in public.
On Friday’s show, Maher used the renewed conflict to criticize Trump’s behavior in office. He said he still wants Trump to succeed when the country’s interests are at stake, but also criticized him for what he described as corruption, favoritism, and attacks on democratic norms. Maher mentioned that their dinner had been enjoyable and that his recounting of it was accurate, even if Trump now disagrees with that version.
The exchange has escalated from a private dinner to public posts, television monologues, and now text messages. Maher’s recent disclosure made it clear that, despite the public insults, the connection between the comedian and the president remains surprisingly direct.
The TV show host has been a fierce Trump critic for years. In February 2013, the president famously sued comedian Bill Maher for $5 million. He claimed breach of contract after Maher joked that Trump was the product of his mother and an orangutan.
Maher promised to donate to charity if Trump could prove otherwise. Trump actually followed through and presented his birth certificate, but he later dropped the lawsuit.
