Bill Maher has said a mix of sharply critical and surprisingly positive things about Donald Trump over the last couple of years, and that contrast is exactly why he’s such a big talking point right now.

What did Bill Maher say about Trump?

1. The harsh criticism: monologues and mockery

Maher has continued to hit Trump hard in his opening monologues and interviews, especially over Trump’s behavior in office and online.

Key themes in his criticism:

  • Trump as a symbol of America’s flaws
    • Maher has framed Trump as a reflection of America itself, suggesting that the “nation he leads” shares his flaws, and mocking the idea of Trump suing his own government as a kind of national self‑lawsuit.
  • Legal scandals and Epstein documents
    • In one blistering “Real Time” monologue about Jeffrey Epstein–related documents, Maher seized on allegations that Trump “knew about the girls,” and joked that Trump should have learned from Hillary Clinton and “smashed” tech evidence with a hammer.
* He described Trump’s handling of the Epstein story as “quintessential Trump,” using the very scandal to distract from itself.
  • Deal‑making and governing style
    • Maher has recently slammed what he calls Trump’s “pattern” of political dealmaking, criticizing the way Trump approaches negotiations and power as fundamentally self‑serving.
  • Social media posts and “crazy” statements
    • After Trump joked online that China would take over Canada and “terminate all ice hockey,” Maher read it on air and reacted with “What the f***,” arguing that this sort of statement is part of why Trump’s popularity can slip with some voters.

Example tone: Maher often uses sarcasm, crude jokes, and exaggerated analogies to paint Trump as reckless, dishonest, and absurd, while still making a political point.

2. The surprising praise: “I was wrong about Trump”

The twist—and what really set off a wave of forum and social media debate—is that Maher also did a segment where he essentially said he was “wrong about Trump” after a private White House dinner.

What he described from that meeting:

  • Trump was more gracious and measured in person
    • Maher said the Trump he met at dinner was not the same as the public version he had attacked for years.
* He called Trump “gracious and measured,” and insisted he was simply reporting what he saw, even if that angered his liberal audience.
  • Trump as an engaged conversationalist
    • Maher noted that Trump looked him in the eye, listened, and asked, “So what do you think about this?” steering the conversation in a surprisingly normal, curious way.
* He contrasted Trump favorably with other “prominent people” who barely listen or respond coherently in private conversations.
  • No pressure to be a prop
    • Maher appreciated that Trump gave him hats but did not ask him to pose in one, which Maher read as a small sign of social awareness and boundaries.
  • “You can hate me for it, but I’m not a liar”
    • Maher stressed that he still knows Trump’s public image and record, but he refused to lie about what the dinner was like just to keep up maximum anti‑Trump hostility.

This shift was heavily amplified in YouTube political commentary under titles like “Maher admits he was wrong about Trump,” which framed his monologue as a shocking softening toward the president.

3. Trump’s response to Maher

Trump, unsurprisingly, has responded in his own style, mixing mockery with grudging acknowledgement.

Recent notes from Trump about Maher:

  • Accusing Maher of “Trump Derangement Syndrome”
    • Trump has blasted Maher as suffering from “a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome” that can’t be cured, saying he’d rather focus on “MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” than deal with Maher.
  • Claiming Maher was nervous and respectful in person
    • Trump recounted their White House interaction by saying Maher was “extremely nervous” and had “ZERO confidence,” claiming Maher told him, “I’ve never felt like this before, I’m actually scared.”
* Trump also said Maher “seemed to be a great guy” and was respectful when he talked about the meeting on his show—until Maher went back to mocking him.
  • Anger at renewed criticism
    • Trump was particularly annoyed by Maher’s segment ridiculing the “China will take over Canada and terminate ice hockey” line, insisting that it was obviously a joke and that Maher played it as if it were serious.
* He complained that Maher ignores what he calls his successes—like the Dow at 50,000 and his immigration agenda—while spreading “fake news” about him.

4. How Maher talks about Trump politically

Maher also talks about Trump not just as a personality, but as a political force and symbol.

Some recurring points:

  • Trials make Trump look like a “revolutionary leader”
    • Maher has warned Democrats that the repeated criminal trials risk making Trump look like a persecuted revolutionary, which can actually boost his appeal with voters who love the idea of a system‑fighting outsider.
  • Democrats should be careful and strategic
    • He’s argued that the left can overreach, and that painting Trump as purely a cartoon villain may backfire with the broader electorate.
  • “More people like me should talk to him”
    • Maher has complained that many media and political elites refuse to talk to Trump at all, saying that more people like him should actually engage, even if they dislike him, rather than treating him as totally untouchable.
* He’s also hinted that Trump does not really want to be surrounded only by “rednecks and simpletons,” implying Trump enjoys being around coastal or media elites too.

5. Forum & trending discussion vibes

Because your query is in the “Quick Scoop / forum discussion / trending topic” style, here’s how this is playing out online.

What people on forums are saying

Common discussion angles:

  1. “Maher sold out”
    • Some liberals say Maher is normalizing Trump by praising his private demeanor and warning that the trials might help him with voters.
  1. “At least he’s being honest”
    • Others argue Maher is one of the few media figures willing to admit when his perceptions change, even a little, and that honesty is more valuable than staying in a tribal lane.
  1. “Two entertainers feeding off each other”
    • A popular take: Maher and Trump are both media performers who benefit from the rivalry—Maher gets ratings from Trump segments, Trump gets attention from feuding with Maher.

A typical forum vibe might look like:
“So Maher spends years calling him a menace, then has one nice dinner and suddenly Trump is ‘gracious and measured’? These guys all live in the same club.”

Why it’s trending now (early 2026 context)

  • Trump is back in the White House and back at the center of US politics, so every outspoken media figure’s stance on him gets magnified.
  • Maher’s “I was wrong about Trump” nuance plus his continued brutal jokes create a tension that people love to argue about: is he softening or just being complex?
  • Trump’s own angry posts about Maher keep the cycle going, turning every new Maher segment into a new mini‑story.

6. Mini recap (TL;DR)

  • Maher is still one of Trump’s sharpest comic critics, shredding him over legal scandals, social media posts, and governing style.
  • At the same time, he has publicly said he was “wrong about Trump” in some ways after a White House dinner, describing Trump in person as surprisingly gracious, attentive, and measured.
  • Trump has hit back, calling Maher a victim of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” while also bragging that Maher was nervous and respectful in private.
  • Online and forum discussions focus on whether Maher is being refreshingly honest and nuanced—or just another media figure drifting toward normalizing Trump because of proximity and access.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.