Maher Defends Second White House Dinner With Trump

Bill Maher said he attended a second dinner with President Donald Trump at the White House and defended the decision during his October 23 television monologue, saying he likes the dinners despite criticism of his contact with the president. Maher said the meal lasted four hours and covered issues including the Supreme Court, shootings involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the withdrawal of support for Afghans who had helped the United States during the war. He also said he urged Trump to reconsider his view of the Supreme Court and warned him that Chinese President Xi Jinping was not his friend. In recounting the dinner, Maher said Trump did not lose his temper, yell or interrupt him. Maher said he was the one who interrupted. He described the interaction as cordial, while making clear that he continued to disagree with Trump on policy. The account of the private dinner comes from Maher’s own remarks on the program. During the same broadcast, Maher interviewed former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. He criticized Trump’s approach to Russia and his treatment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling the policy toward Russia unconscionable....