Donald Trump wasn’t happy with HBO host Bill Maher’s quips on “Real Time” on Friday night, lashing out at the libertarian satirist via the former president’s Truth Social platform. While it was unclear what specific part of Maher’s show set Trump off, it may have been when Maher pointed to what he called “the key story”: the Supreme Court delaying Trump’s trials.
“Bill Maher is the worst!” Trump began, just after midnight Mar-a-Lago time. “He never got it, and never will. Bad ratings, a big fail on CNN shot, major case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
Maher’s “Overtime” segment with guests and panelists airs on both CNN and YouTube — Friday night’s featured some moderate critique of Trump. “Real Time” has long been a ratings winner for HBO and is currently in its 22nd season.
“Not worth the watch!” Trump concluded. But clearly, the former president himself had been checking Maher out on Friday night.
The host had plenty of Trump material in his monologue, but the portion that appeared to be the most triggering was when Maher brought up the multiple trials that Trump faces.
Maher noted that the polls show Trump losing if he is convicted in any of those cases, adding that his defense lawyers are doing everything they can to delay those trials.
“And when I say ‘his defense lawyers,’ I mean the Supreme Court,” Maher offered, going on to call Trump’s claim that former presidents are immune from prosecution “ridiculous.”
He said that legal observers can’t figure out why the court would even take up this case, adding, “Legal expert Jeffrey Toobin was just making the jerking off –” before faux-realizing, “Oh no, that was something else, sorry,” as he referenced the pundit’s infamous video call embarrassment.
Maher expressed confusion and frustration with the Supreme Court taking on the case now after refusing to do so when special prosecutor Jack Smith asked them to do so in December.
“They’re just trying to run out the clock,” Maher said. “This is so typical of that court: always protecting the baby.”
Earlier, Maher opened his monologue by joking that Trump wouldn’t acknowledge Leap Day.
“He thinks it’s a woke plot to make Black History Month longer,” Maher quipped.
Elsewhere in the show, Maher’s “New Rules” segment called on Joe Biden to embrace his age and the fact that he is, well, old. Despite pointing to what has been seen by much of the public as the president’s key weakness, that wasn’t enough to win over Trump.
The host’s monologue also included riffs on Tucker Carlson and the funeral of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, as well as more talk about recent abortion rulings. His guest was Dr. Phil McGraw, and his panelists were former Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan and journalist/author Batya Ungar-Sargon, the latter of whom offered further discussion of the Supreme Court considering whether Trump is above the law, along with other issues around this year’s general election.
You can watch the full show on HBO’s Max streaming platform.
