Bill Maher, 70, does not want to be president—and got a jab in at his good friend Donald Trump as he explained why on Monday.
In the latest episode of his Club Random podcast, the host was asked by guest Andy Dick whether he would ever run.
“Of course not,” he said. “I don’t want to be... I’m too old to be...” he said, not mentioning in the moment that the current president is 79 years old.
Maher continued, summarizing American politics for Dick, who shared that he had been out of the loop. “The president is this guy, Donald Trump. He was a game show host,” the host joked, also declaring him “corrupt.”
Still, he continued on Trump, “That’s where America is and, I mean, we have a complicated relationship, both me, myself, and the country.” Maher didn’t cite Trump’s age as the source of that “complication,” however, as he recalled Biden’s time in office. “He was the president before Trump,” Maher told Dick, “and he was, like, super old. And that was the big issue in the campaign. The big issue.” Biden was 82 when he left office—the same age Trump will be when his second term ends.
Maher has bounced back and forth between Trump’s good and bad sides many times over the years. The comedian complained regularly about the criticism he faced for praising Trump after dining with him at the White House last April, on an invitation from Kid Rock.
Maher endears himself to some MAGA factions for his railing against “wokeness” and “cancel culture,” which he brings up in nearly every episode of his podcast. His HBO show, Real Time, was promoted by the network for its “both sides” angle.
But Maher still hits Trump from time to time. Last month, after reports emerged that Maher would be awarded the Kennedy Center’s prestigious Mark Twain humor prize, the Trump administration immediately cast doubt, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt declaring, “Bill Maher will NOT be getting this award.”
The Trump tide turned on Maher after Trump became angry at the comedian for continuing to talk about him following their infamous dinner last year. He unleashed on him via Truth Social in February, “It was a total waste of time for me to have this jerk at the White House.” Trump also added in his long-winded rant that Maher was “extremely nervous” and had “ZERO confidence” during their dinner meeting.
Shortly after, Maher told CNN that Trump sends him angry texts after watching Real Time. “You’re still part of the lunatic left!” he said the president texted him.
Despite the White House’s comments, Maher will receive the Mark Twain Prize in June during a Netflix broadcast from the MAGA-fied “Trump” Kennedy Center.
