Trump Turns on Bill Maher, Calls White House Dinner a 'Total Waste of Time' After Hockey Joke Backlash

President Donald Trump unloaded on HBO host Bill Maher in a sprawling Truth Social post on Saturday, calling their April 2025 White House dinner a "total waste of time" and branding the comedian a "highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT" .

The nearly 500-word tirade appeared to be triggered by Maher's Friday night episode of Real Time, in which the host mocked Trump's claim that China would "terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup" as part of a hypothetical trade deal . Trump insisted the hockey remark was a joke and accused Maher of treating it as a serious policy statement.

"Well, he 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," Trump wrote .

The exchange marks a sharp reversal from the cordial tone that followed the men's surprise White House encounter last spring. That dinner, arranged by musician Kid Rock and attended by UFC CEO Dana White, had been hailed by some conservatives as evidence that even liberal media figures were warming to the Trump agenda .

From Vodka Tonics to Public Warfare

In his Saturday post, Trump offered a vivid — and unflattering — account of Maher's demeanor during the dinner. He claimed the host was "extremely nervous, had ZERO confidence in himself" and immediately requested a vodka tonic upon entering the Oval Office . Trump quoted Maher as saying, "I've never felt like this before, I'm actually scared" — a portrayal that, if accurate, contrasts sharply with Maher's on-air persona as a fearless provocateur.

Maher himself had offered a markedly different account of the evening last April. He described Trump as "gracious and measured" and "much more self-aware than he lets on in public" . He also said at the time that while he would continue to be critical of the administration, "he now understands that I have a job to do."

A Warning to Republicans

Perhaps the most politically significant line in Trump's post was aimed not at Maher but at fellow Republicans. "Republicans should stop using him to show how the Left is coming over our way — Our Base, the Greatest of All Time, laughs at your weakness when you do it!" Trump wrote .

The remark appeared to target the strain of conservative commentary that had seized on the Maher dinner as proof of a broader political realignment — the idea that traditionally liberal voices were breaking ranks and acknowledging Trump's appeal. Maher has indeed shifted rightward on several issues in recent years, including his vocal criticism of progressive positions on gender ideology, campus free speech, and what he terms "woke" culture.

But that overlap has always had limits. Maher has remained sharply critical of Trump on issues ranging from democratic norms to fiscal policy, and Friday's monologue was no departure from that pattern .

The Broader Pattern

Trump's attack on Maher follows a well-established pattern in which the president lavishes praise on figures who show him deference, only to turn on them with equal intensity when they fail to maintain it. The list includes former allies in politics, media, and business.

Trump also took a swipe at Maher's ratings, claiming they were "so low that nobody will learn about his various Fake News statements about me." He grouped Maher with Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert — though he conceded Maher was "slightly more talented" .

He concluded the post by diagnosing Maher with "a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS!)" and signing off: "Thank you for your attention to this minor matter! President DJT" .

A spokesperson for Maher did not immediately return a request for comment from Deadline . Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO's parent company, did not respond to Newsweek's request for comment either.

The episode underscores the fragility of any rapprochement between Trump and his media critics — and the speed with which a single monologue can reignite a feud that both sides had seemed content to let cool.