And like Maher said several times during his description, “Why can’t we — the people — have the trump I saw?”

Why would he want that? If that's his thinking, then he's been taken in, too.

Is the Trump has the capacity to be/act like a better person but just chooses not to for political expedience and power.

And how is that any better? In some ways, it is worse.

Yet Maher can't see that for himself. Either he is playing dumb or isn't as insightful as he thinks he is. Maybe a little of both.

You have gotten to the heart of the matter.

came out in the 1970s and apologized for his segregationist stances, then supported it by referencing a few things he did while he was an Alabama judge, where he treated Blacks with smidgen more respect than other judges. He thought that softened his image.

What it actually said was, "See I'm not really a racist, but I just took those stances for political expedience." He and his supporters never realized that was actually worse than really believing what he espoused.

I have no way of knowing, but my bet is that Maher is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. Trump is a highly skilled con man, and saw an opportunity in this meeting.

Unfortunately I see nearly every episode of "Real Time" because my wife likes the show. I used to like it is well, but Maher is no match for creatures like Steve Bannon, who eat his lunch when he platforms them.

I'm done watching Maher, and she agrees with my assessment of his meeting with Trump. I hope he loses a lot of viewers over this.

and I say that having met the man

Wife insists on watching. I can’t stand his show. His schtick is tired.

was Uncle Adolph to the Goebbels children?

He was so kind with dogs and children.

He has turned himself into Kid Rock.

...Bob Woodward asked himself a similar question during Covid when Trump acknowledged to him in private that Covid was a serious matter but downplayed it to the public. Who cares what Trump he "saw"? The Trump that matters is the one that the rest of us see and have to deal with.

Also, this opens doors for him in the magasphere going forward. He has a new audience now.

Narcissist who already murdered millions, there is no other version of him. Bm is a narcissist who stirs shit to make money. Both are con artists.

Neither of them care for anything other than their self aggrandizement. That and they're both transparent trolls and bullshitters.

When he had the chance to pound Maher into the floor, but passed on it.

Who was suspended for his controversial remarks about Penn State on Twitter?

(Penn State's) THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, raising funds and awareness for the fight against childhood cancer. Since 1977, THON has raised more than $219 million. Penn State Health Children's Hospital is the sole beneficiary of charity, Four Diamonds which started in 1972 to provide monetary support to childhood cancer patients at PSCH. Four Diamonds is the sole beneficiary of the annual Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) event at Penn State University's University Park campus.

And whatever "Kid" Richie Rich is

Furious with the guy who is actually cutting cancer research, and ignoring the sycophant, Maher? Typical left, find one thing to be outraged about and ignore the tyrant's dismantling of an entire country -- and it's cancer research, which you seem so concerned about. Backatcha.

. . . a complete misunderstanding.

out of the people. Especially people who have empathy for other people they do not know. He's dangerous. Doesn't matter if he can clean up for a dinner. Trump is still the person who he is day in, day out. As they say with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the is no Dr. Jekyll. (Mr Hyde murdered multiple people in person, Trump not in person but millions will die). Trump is the person who repeatedly and intentionally goes after others to his own glee to carve out a win where someone else has to lose (he doesn't understand win win). Millions of AIDs patients in Africa will die and children will be orphaned. It costs 8 cents a day to stop that. He lies. He exploits. Doesn't matter if Trump is nice to Trump's own family or to Bill Maher. How is he to the young women who find themselves knocked up when they are no way ready to start a family? How about taking voting rights away from people? Trying to shake down Zelenskyy? This whole dinner was just an attempt to dial down the anger and fear in the center and the center left so Trump can keep breaking things. The Trump admin seem to break things and backtrack (Harriet Tubbman censored and then not, Medicaid pull apart, then not in February) if its cruelty overwhelmes the public and the public starts lashing out at Trump and his administration. It gets too hot. Dinner with Maher was just an attempt to normalize Trump and dial down the opposition's emotions in another way, particularly those in the who watch bill maher, so Trump can break things the next week (the world economy almost, many people's 401Ks). Again all so he can do stuff, like get rid of income tax and replace it with tariffs like Trump is already hinting at, so his rich friends will be richer and poor people poorer. That he is kind to people who he needs doesn't matter. Millions will die. Hundred's of millions lives will be bleaker.

different approach (and yes, he has his flaws, some of which I find to be off-putting). He votes for the Democrat every time, and there's a long list of damaging things he's said against frump. To me there are far more serious things going on to complain about.

"This idea about purity, and you're never compromised, and you're always POLITICALLY WOKE, and all that stuff, you should get over that quickly. The world is messy. There are ambiguities. People who do really good stuff have flaws." -Barack Obama

An interesting aside, a post was removed the other day (from a 1st time poster) noting the amount of hatred, bile, vitriol they found against Maher.

that he votes for the democrat every time? Do you get in to the voting booth in him and look over his shoulder? And does every time exclude 2000 when he publicly endorsed Nader?

The ballot is secret. No one knows who any one votes for once they are in the privacy of the voting booth.

He is a comedian. No problem if you don't like him. I find satisfaction in how Maher calls out the bullshit on the right. You don't find that anywhere else as the MSM anchors give equal time to Republican panelists and don't make fun of them for their lies. Maher and Michael Moore begged Ralph Nader not to run. Was he lying then? Do you think Michael Moore is stupid? Do you think Killer Mike is? What i don't find satisfaction is in how the right tries to make Maher isolated from the left online. For like 8 years. I've always said Republicans will steal our totems. Even Bill Maher admits the right wing keeps trying to enlist him in their American Carnage. He keeps saying they are too cray cray. Doesn't stop Republicans from getting online and hating on him hoping to convince lefties that they can't handle a centrist view and to cancel him. Just don't watch if you don't like him.

Trump donated to democrats for decades.Does that give him a pass too? Maher may call out BS on the right but he also attacks many on the left. Sure he once asked Nader not to run but 4 years earlier he supported Nader, not Gore. How did that turn out? He is also vocally anti-vax, bigoted and sexist. You can ignore his anti-woke rants and parroting of right wing talking points as well as his platforming of people like Ann Coulter and Milo Yiannopoulos with little and weak pushback on their bs. Now he’s having dinner with Trump and trying to normalize him. I’m not the one trying to alienate Maher from democrats. He’s doing that all by himself.
And I don’t watch his show. Haven’t for a long time. But it doesn’t mean I can’t criticize him either.

The post was much longer than that I didn't alert on it but I'm not surprised to learn that post was deleted. The poster seemed to think DU of all places was too far left mainly because they didn't like Maher.

Warren was actually #1 in the polls when Obama said that. She wasn't my first choice but I don't think she would have had to drop out after 1 term and could have prevented Trump from getting a second term. The goal of the 2020 primaries was to end Trump's career and Democrats have failed at that.

True colors shown — no more Maher for me.

Last edited Mon Apr 14, 2025, 06:00 AM - Edit history (1)

If Trump really is a normal person playing an evil megalomaniac on TV, that's even worse than a sociopath who can't control himself.

The last straw was his casual dismissal of Cory Booker's marathon speech in the Senate.

Not sure why he let that happen to him and didn't see through it. You'd think he knew better. Maybe he's scared.

Since when is conventionalizing a Nazi funny?

That can or has been easily dug up. I would bet lots of skeletons in his closet. Easy to blackmail

He ate on our dime, at a tax-payer funded dinner, and he could have asked questions on our behalf. I'm sure Putin can be very charming too, but that is no reason to generate positive headlines. He could have used the opportunity to ask Trump why childhood cancer research has been cut. Is that a price worth paying to help with tax cuts for the rich? Or he could have called Trump out over his lies and gaslighting. But no, it was shameful that all he could do was grovel and report what a charming guy Trump is.

These apologies for Maher just play into the "Trump derangement syndrome" nonsense, and it is utter nonsense. We are not the haters. We are rejecting the haters, and we are rejecting the pathetic attempts to normalize the haters. Shame on the people trying to normalize Maher's behavior, and shame on Maher for normalizing Trump.

We aren't the haters.

Last edited Mon Apr 14, 2025, 04:53 PM - Edit history (1)

Maher saw what he saw. I think it probably surprised the hell out of him, which makes the idea he got played a little more likely. In fact, maybe a lot likely.

Again, we'll have to see what happens down the road with both Maher and Trump, though we can probably guess what Trump will do.

Why do we care about what Maher thinks?

Some will be on fire, some will be covered with murder hornet nests and patrolled by rabid pit bulls, and some will feature irregularly timed eruptions of pieces of broken glass covered with VX and smallpox virus.

And from time to time, private jets will circle low and slow so that We The People can provide amusement for their passengers - Thiel, Musk, Maher and generations of Trumps.

that so many of you who are responding in this thread have cut to the core of Maher getting it wrong. The "real" Trump IS the one we see on TV and at the rallies. The "made for Maher" Trump that Bill met at the White House proved once again that the obvious mental decline of The Donald has not yet eroded his skills as a functioning con artist.

I'm just trying to make a point. Never had dinner with him.

He lost what little credibility he had.

Exactly what I came to post.

He came away from the White House saying exactly what they wanted him to say and he's too dumb or arrogant to know it.

They knew he would ease the minds of some people if Trump turned on the charm and turned off the dictator for a few hours. They got exactly what they wanted.

Maher never stopped to ask why he was invited. Why? The Oligarchy running Trump knows people are alarmed at what they are seeing, they identified Maher as someone easily pursuadable who will be able to carry the exact message they wanted back to people. It's a way to mask and accelerate the country's descent into fascism.

And yeah, Maher put it out there that he agrees with trump on so many things, so it makes even more sense.

Very well said.

Link to tweet

Anything that normalizes a psychopath only encourages them and makes people think of them as sane.

He is in the process of enabling and encouraging the most evil and dangerous individual ever to occupy the White House. It would be different if Maher was just another Fox News pimp---but he insists on spreading this absolute fiction that he's Mr. Fair Middle-Roader---which is absolute bullshit, of course.

Hope I'm around, if and when you finally realize that there's no room for it...