Heated feature discussion Is it okay to talk to Trump?
Late-night host and Democrat Bill Maher let Donald Trump invite him to dinner - and talked about it on his show. Now a heated discussion about the meeting has flared up, fueled by a Hitler comparison.
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- Presenter Bill Maher, who is considered a Democrat, met Donald Trump for dinner on March 31.
- On April 11, Maher discusses the conversation on his show, talking positively and negatively about Trump.
- The meeting was met with criticism from the left and sparked a discussion about how to deal with political opponents.
- A Hitler comparison by comedian Larry David in the "New York Times" is further fueling the dispute.
"I'm still basically the old-school liberal I've always been," says Bill Maher in the podcast hosted by journalist Chris Cuomo. However, the title of the interview - "Bill Maher explains why he's having dinner with Donald Trump" - shows that the 69-year-old is not a classic leftist.
His announcement that the flamboyant musician Kid Rock, of all people, had arranged a meeting with the US president made headlines in the US: "No one has been tougher on Trump. I feel like I have the legitimacy. But they also respect me because I'm honest about the woke train to crazy-town."
This is actually one of Maher's trademarks: on the one hand, he harshly criticizes the "Woke revolution". On the other hand, he points the finger at the Republicans who are "kissing Trump's a****". "First of all, it's an honor to be invited to the White House," Maher explains and admits that this impresses him.
The "structure of this dinner" is: "Let's talk face to face". He will probably achieve little in the process. "But you have to try." On March 31, the time has come - and on April 11, the presenter talks about his dinner with the president on his show "Real Time with Bill Maher".
"I've never seen him laugh in public"
He stands for people in the political center who are looking for an alternative to just hating each other all the time. "You meet in person. Maybe it will be different. Spoiler alert: that's how it was." And he can already hear his opponents saying, "Oh my God, Bill! Are you going to say something nice about him?"
The evening before, Trump had written on Truth Social that he didn't like the idea of a meeting with Maher, but the next day he found a different president, the late-night host reports. "He's laughing. I've never seen him laugh in public, but he does," Maher says. "Even about himself."
Trump was approachable. During a tour of the "amazing" White House, he even spoke of "losing" in connection with the 2020 election. "He is much more aware than he shows in public." The private Trump is different from the politician Trump: "Everything I didn't like about him wasn't there that evening."
"I know: that blows her away. Me too"
The 78-year-old has often asked: "What do you think about it?" Maher commented: "I know: it blows her away. Me too." The presenter joked, disagreed and criticized during the meal - no problem at all. And there are points on which Maher agrees with Trump.
"Moving the embassy in Israel to Jerusalem? Loved it," Maher enumerates. "The border needed control. I'm glad the police are getting a good operating climate again. [Diversity] has gone too far. Biological males shouldn't participate in women's sports."
Maher continues, "Europe should pay for its defense. And of course it makes sense for Arab countries to take in Arab refugees - like the millions of Syrians who ended up in Germany, while Saudi Arabia didn't take any."
"It wasn't as shitty**** as I assumed"
Trump said on the last point: "Right, they didn't take any." Maher replied: "Well, you should remind your boyfriend in Saudi Arabia of that the next time you see him." And Trump? He laughed.
"I never felt like I had to walk on eggshells in his presence," says Maher. He had voted for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but couldn't imagine being as relaxed about them as he was with the current president.
As soon as he got home, he saw Trump on TV, who was then a completely different person again. "A madman doesn't live in the White House. A person who often plays a madman on TV lives in the White House, which is shameful.... But it wasn't as shitty**** as I assumed."
"Bill Maher falls for Trump's charm offensive"
The dinner elicits a big response: "Bill Maher went to Washington. He's been a*****", commented the left-leaning "Washington Post". "Bill Maher falls for Trump's charm offensive," writes The Advocate.
"Liberals criticize Bill Maher's monologue about the positive meeting with Trump," counters the right-wing New York Post. "Fox News" knows: "Bill Maher hits back at his critics after meeting with Trump and says it's not a bad thing that he doesn't 'hate' the president"
However, a guest commentary in the "New York Times", which mentions neither Trump nor Maher, caused the biggest stir. It was written by Larry David, who co-founded "Seinfeld" and is known from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Saturday Night Live". The title: ...
... "My Dinner with Hitler".
In it, David describes an imaginary invitation to the Reich Chancellery in 1939: "Nobody I knew encouraged me to go," he says. "'He is Hitler. He's a monster. But eventually I came to the conclusion that hatred would get us nowhere. I knew I couldn't change his views, but we had to talk to the other side."
Or: "I realized I'd never seen him laugh before. Suddenly he seemed so human. I was prepared to meet Hitler, the one I had seen and heard - the public Hitler. But this private Hitler was a completely different animal."
The echoes of Maher's account are obvious: "It wasn't just a one-way street where the Führer dominated the conversation. He was very curious and asked me a lot of questions." David also writes: "Even if we disagree on many issues, that doesn't mean we have to hate each other."
"This is the modern left"
With the Hitler comparison, the topic reaches the European media: now the British "Guardian" and the German "Spiegel" are also reporting on the discussion about whether people should be allowed to talk to Donald Trump. The case is also being hotly debated on CNN.
"If you bring Hitler into play, you've lost the discussion," media entrepreneur Dan Abrams defends Bill Maher. People would then simply switch off. You also have to talk to those with whom you disagree.
"This is the modern left," scolds conservative CNN commentator Scott Jennings about Larry David. "It's an attempt to intimidate people into not doing this again. Shut yourself up or we'll do it for you. Neera Tanden is the liberal voice: She reminds us that what politicians do is more important than what they say in private.
