President Trump attacked Bill Maher on social media, bringing back a fight that started nearly a year ago. The president called their White House dinner meeting a complete failure and labeled Maher a “jerk” and a “highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT.”
According to Deadline, the fight started because Maher mocked Trump’s comment about international hockey. Trump had joked that if China took over Canada, “The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.” Trump made this comment while talking about how Canadian leaders have “ripped off” the United States on trade for years.
Trump was angry that Maher treated the joke as if it were serious. He wrote on Truth Social that Maher “went on and on about the Hockey statement, like ‘What kind of a person would say such a foolish thing as this,’ as though I were being serious when I said it.”
The dinner meeting revealed an unexpectedly nervous side of the late-night host
In his long post, Trump said hosting the dinner was “a total waste of time.” He shared details from their meeting in April last year. According to Trump, Maher used a mutual friend to set up the dinner. Trump claimed that when Maher arrived at the Oval Office, he was “extremely nervous, had ZERO confidence in himself and, to soothe his nerves, immediately, within seconds, asked for a ‘Vodka Tonic.'”
Trump even quoted Maher saying, “I’ve never felt like this before, I’m actually scared.” This comes as White House staffers react to controversial posts from the president on social media. The president said this nervousness was “somewhat endearing” and that they had a great dinner that was “quick, easy, and he seemed to be a nice guy.” Trump noted that Maher was respectful about their meeting on his first show after the dinner.
Trump went after Maher’s career, claiming his “Television Ratings are so low that nobody will learn about his various Fake News statements about me.” While saying Maher is “slightly more talented” than hosts like Kimmel, Fallon, or Colbert, Trump still called him a lightweight. He also warned Republicans to stop using Maher to prove the political left is joining their side. Meanwhile, Trump allies face challenges with prosecutions against Democratic lawmakers.
After their April dinner, Maher had called Trump “gracious and measured” and said he was “much more self-aware than he lets on in public.” Maher got criticism for attending the dinner but defended himself, saying Trump “needs more people talking to him, not less.” However, Maher said he still didn’t “have a good feeling” about the administration and would keep criticizing its policies.
Published: Feb 15, 2026 01:15 pm