March 6 at 9: 00 p. m. ET, Bill Maher used his Real Time episode to reveal the text messages President Donald Trump sent after their White House dinner and to directly respond to Trump’s Truth Social posts. The timing matters: Trump amplified his criticism earlier in the day even as he was posting about the United States’ conflict with Iran, prompting Maher’s detailed rebuttal that night.
Bill Maher details the post-dinner texts and on-air exchange
Maher said Trump texted him soon after the dinner to complain that Maher was still part of the “lunatic left” and to insist he should have “won a Nobel Prize for ending wars. ” Maher told viewers he replied, “Yeah, and I should have won 20 Emmys. ” The host said the two “argued for a while” over text before Trump ended with, “Bill, you know what? Don’t change. I wouldn’t know what to do with you if you did. “
Trump’s Truth Social posts prompted Maher’s rebuttal amid Iran conflict
Earlier in the day, the president shared multiple news articles and launched fresh criticism of Maher on Truth Social, reviving a February post that called their White House dinner a “total waste of time. ” Maher devoted a segment of his show to answer that social-media attack, pointing out that the posts came while Trump was also addressing the United States’ objectives in the conflict with Iran and that the timing made the rebuttal unavoidable.
The March 31, 2025 White House dinner, Kid Rock’s role and what Maher says happened
The two men met at a dinner on March 31, 2025, which Maher says was arranged by their mutual friend, Kid Rock. Maher disputed several claims Trump made about the meeting: he said he did not ask for the dinner, was not “nervous” or “scared, ” and that the conversation was not a quick sit-down. Maher told viewers he was at the dinner for almost three hours and that his drink was a margarita, not vodka.
On air, Maher also played clips to show he has both praised and criticized Trump, arguing he does not suffer from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” while saying Trump displays what Maher called “Bill Maher Derangement Syndrome. ” He highlighted instances where he supported specific Trump actions and then turned to a line-by-line rebuttal of the president’s characterizations of the dinner.
Beyond the dinner details, Maher criticized elements of the administration’s record on ICE arrests, its approach toward democratic allies, and what he described as personal enrichment by the president and his family. Still, he maintained that the gracious, measured person he encountered at the dinner is the reason he will not call the meeting a waste even after the renewed name-calling.
Maher also pushed back on Trump’s claim that the show became “very boring” and “ANTI TRUMP” after the dinner, telling viewers he had defended some of the president’s initiatives and that his critiques aim to appeal to what he believes could be the president’s better nature.
More reactions unfolded during the episode, where Maher contrasted the private exchange with the president’s public posture and reiterated that their texts showed a more human side to Trump that he hopes can be enlarged.
Maher’s next scheduled on-air response to the fallout is set for Friday at 10: 00 p. m. ET; if Trump issues further posts before then, Maher has indicated he will address them on that broadcast.
