Washington Examiner senior writer Joe Concha praised President Donald Trump for deciding to host “the reasonable voice” of the Democratic Party, Bill Maher, at the White House.
Trump invited the late-night talk show host to dinner at the presidential residence for an undisclosed date long after Maher’s stark criticisms of the president began. Maher publicly mused about quitting HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher because he was too overwhelmed to cover the president for a second term.
“Let’s think about what this says about President Trump. He very easily can cite the things that Maher has said about him over the years, he very easily could have turned this down, and not one person would have blamed him,” Concha said on Fox News’s Fox and Friends First Monday. “It is beyond smart — street smart and politically — because, for starters, it will drive the left crazy. It’s the ultimate troll.”
Concha cited White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s claim that the president has the habit of listening “to different people to help shape his worldview.” That insight prompted him to predict that Trump wouldn’t “trash” Maher after their meeting, which Maher compared to President Richard Nixon visiting China.
Maher’s politics are far from those of emerging Democratic Party leaders Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) and Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). According to Concha, Crockett’s recent rhetoric suggesting that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) be “knocked over the head” and Tesla CEO Elon Musk get “taken down” for her birthday won’t win Democratic lawmakers any elections.
BILL MAHER TEASES QUITTING REAL TIME BECAUSE HE’S ‘BORED’ COVERING TRUMP
“That’s the person you want on the air more if you’re a Republican,” Concha said of Crockett.
HBO renewed Real Time with Bill Maher last year for two seasons that will last through 2026.