Bill Maher Says He Pressed Trump on Russia-Ukraine War After White House Dinner
Photo: HuffPostHBO's "Real Time" host Bill Maher said Friday that he pressed President Donald Trump on his handling of the Russia-Ukraine war during a recent visit to the White House. Maher described a private dinner there with Trump, Stephen A. Smith, Kid Rock and others, and discussed it on Friday's episode of his show. In an interview with Karoline Leavitt, identified as a former White House press secretary, Maher called Trump's approach to Russia unconscionable. He said Sen. Lindsey Graham used to talk Trump out of such moves and that Trump would not be doing this if Graham were alive. He accused Trump of undercutting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Maher also said he raised Trump's dropped plan to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter, saying someone talked Trump out of it. He added that Trump listens in the White House, makes eye contact, does not interrupt and does not get angry. Maher drew criticism for accepting an invitation to visit last year, when he called Trump gracious.
Left-leaning HuffPost leads with the substance of Maher's remarks: Russia, Ukraine, Graham, the Fort Hood execution and his praise of Trump as a listener. It also recalls the criticism Maher faced last year. Right-leaning RealClearPolitics leads with Maher's defiant, profane reply to critics of the dinner and names the guests, Smith and Kid Rock. Its excerpt, the only text available, says nothing of Ukraine or the Fort Hood plan. Both sides report that Maher spoke about his White House visit. They differ in focus: policy disagreements versus his response to backlash. Alternative / independent outlets had not reported the story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and right-leaning outlets had.
How the sides differ Left sources emphasize Maher's policy objections on Russia and Ukraine; right sources stress his defiant response to critics of the dinner; alternative sources have not covered it.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
HuffPost leads with Maher's comments to Karoline Leavitt on Russia, Ukraine and the Fort Hood execution plan, featuring his own quotes and noting last year's criticism of his visit.
Not covering this story. None of the alternative or independent outlets Crosswire tracks has reported it yet. What one side leaves out can be as telling as what the others report.
RealClearPolitics leads with Maher's defiant on-air response to critics of the White House dinner, naming Stephen A. Smith and Kid Rock as fellow guests and linking to a past clip.