[Text/Observer Network, Shao Yun]

After being invited to have dinner with Trump, renowned American talk show host and "Uncle Puma" Bill Maher (Bill Maher) changed his tune, highly praising the current US president, who he had crossed swords with more than a decade ago, as "well-mannered and well-behaved," saying that he is good at self-deprecating humor and more approachable than Democratic Party members. The Washington Post reported on the 13th that this made many of Uncle Puma's fans feel disappointed and cry out that they would no longer watch his program.

In a meeting arranged by Kid Rock, a supporter of Trump and American singer, Maher met with Trump for dinner at the White House in late March. In the opening monologue of the "Real Time with Bill Maher" broadcast on the 11th, Maher spent 13 minutes reporting on this meeting to the audience.

According to Maher's account, different from the "Twitter lunatic" impression, Trump is quite approachable offline, can take jokes, warmly showed him around the White House, and took the lead in conversations; he also "listened to me" and treated me as a potential friend despite my not being a MAGA supporter.

During the meeting, Maher presented a list containing nearly 60 insulting remarks Trump had made about him over the years, such as "idiot," "scumbag," "filthy moron," etc., asking Trump to sign it, and Trump really complied. Trump proactively asked him about his opinion on the Iran nuclear deal, and he directly criticized Trump for "abolishing" a worthwhile agreement, but Trump did not get angry.

"To be honest, I voted for Clinton and Obama before, but I never felt I could naturally talk to them like I do with Trump," Maher said at the end of his opening monologue. "This is my report. You can hate me for this, but I am not lying. Trump is well-mannered and behaves properly. As to why he doesn't behave like that in other occasions, I don't know, I cannot answer."

Previously, Maher has been relentless in mocking Trump on his shows, with some media even describing them as "archenemies." As early as before Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Maher had been critical of Trump. One of the most notable instances was during the 2012 US presidential election when Trump questioned whether Obama was born in the United States and thus qualified to run for president, proposing that if Obama could provide his college graduation certificate and passport records, he would donate $5 million to a charity chosen by Obama.

Later, Maher retaliated on his show, openly mocking Trump as half-human and half-gorilla due to his orange hair resembling a gorilla's fur color, but stating that he would donate $5 million to a charity chosen by Trump if proof could be provided. Trump angrily filed a $5 million lawsuit against Maher, which was dismissed without prejudice eight months later.

According to what Maher revealed on his show on the 11th, he brought up the "red-haired ape incident" again during the two-and-a-half-hour meeting, bluntly stating that he found Trump's attack on Obama too "low" (low). "Again, (Trump) didn't get angry, just smiled, as if to say, 'Yes, I understand what you mean,'" Maher said.

Bill Maher's sudden positive evaluation of Trump left some viewers quite surprised. "It sounds like a joke Bill Maher might tell: A comedian, a rapper, and the US President having dinner at the White House." The Washington Post wrote on the 13th, unable to hide its disappointment, "Trump charmed Bill Maher, but the comedian's fans didn't find it funny."

The Washington Post pointed out that the opening monologue of this episode has exceeded 55 million views on social media, far surpassing the viewing figures of millions or tens of millions for his previous episodes. The report considered this a "victory" for the White House - "one of the most famous critics of the president spent 13 minutes humanizing Trump instead of satirizing or attacking him."

Bill Maher displays the signed list obtained from Trump. Program screenshot.

Reportedly, on social platforms, Maher's fans lamented. For instance, under a post titled "I'm out" on Reddit, many fans expressed that they would stop watching his show. Some people questioned why Maher went to the White House for a harmonious dinner instead of focusing on Trump's large-scale deportation of immigrants and attempts to unconstitutional re-election, and Maher himself had warned that the Constitution was in peril.

One person wrote, "I'm very sad, he seems to have been tricked by Trump. I didn't expect Bill to be so naive." Others believed that Maher had been completely deceived by a textbook example of malignant narcissism. "I don't mind him meeting Trump. But being misled by this narcissist's appearance and then normalizing someone who loudly promotes election conspiracies? This makes me shiver."

An opinion article in The Washington Post on the 14th also criticized Maher for providing a propaganda platform for Trump and his policies. The article stated that although Maher acknowledged that "who Trump is at private dinners doesn't matter, what matters is who he is on the world stage," by emphasizing Trump's "normal behavior" in private settings, Maher sowed seeds of doubt in the minds of his audience, thereby undermining his own argument.

An article on the website of American Advocacy magazine on the 15th said, "That's why moments like Maher's dinner are so dangerous. Trump was born for this kind of PR. He doesn't need your vote; he just needs your platform. He will use your goodwill to counter your values. And he is doing exactly that now."

The 68-year-old Maher describes himself as an "old-fashioned liberal" and "realist." He supports the legalization of marijuana, abortion rights, advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and gun control, criticizes religious fanaticism, but also dismisses "woke culture" and "political correctness" like many typical conservatives, doubts DEI policies (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and supports strengthening border controls.

Borrowing a phrase from a feature in The Wall Street Journal, Maher still supports the Democratic Party, believing that extreme radicals within liberalism are not as outlandish as the far right, but he often criticizes Democrats more frequently and fiercely than Republicans do.

The Washington Post observed that in recent years, Maher has increasingly blamed the positions of Democratic elites for alienating moderate voters, leading to the Republican victory in last year's presidential and congressional elections. The report analyzed that Maher's willingness to meet with Trump also reflects a broad political adjustment among some liberal individuals following Trump's second victory in the 2020 presidential election.

Incidentally, Gavin Newsom, Governor of California and a potential Democratic candidate for the next presidency, visited Maher's show last month and criticized the "toxic image" of the Democratic Party. Newsom also mentioned that he was inspired by Maher to start his own podcast and invited some conservative and controversial Republican leaders for interviews. "Making noise is not enough; we must also make sense," Newsom said.

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493422038321807910/

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