Trump Critic Discusses Appeal
In a moment that’s sure to make waves across both ends of the political spectrum, comedian and political commentator Bill Maher — long known for his biting critiques of former President Donald Trump — gave rare praise to the 45th president during a recent episode of his Club Random podcast. Speaking with news host Chris Cuomo, Maher acknowledged Trump’s unique political instincts, calling him one of the most effective politicians of our era, regardless of policy or persona.
And Maher wasn’t just giving backhanded compliments — he was delivering full-on respect where he said it was due.
“He always leans into being more of who he is,” Maher said, highlighting Trump’s authenticity — a trait Maher argues most modern politicians completely lack. “The people are not savvy about issues, but they smell a phony a mile away,” he added. According to Maher, Trump’s unabashed embrace of his identity, whether controversial or not, resonates with voters on a visceral, primal level that few, if any, politicians can replicate.
Maher, who’s often broken with progressive orthodoxy on issues like identity politics and COVID-era overreach, pointed out that while he’s still a critic of Trump in many respects, he’s not blind to Trump’s charisma, command, and political savvy. “There are times when I think, ‘Oh man, I got to give it up,’” he admitted.
One example Maher couldn’t help but admire was Trump’s famously blunt warning to a Taliban commander during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump allegedly showed the commander a satellite image of his house, saying that if any Americans were harmed during the exit, “I know where you live.”
Maher’s response? “I don’t care ‘it’s Donald Trump, and he’s the worst person ever,’ blah blah blah — I f---ing love that.” It’s not hard to see why that moment resonated: it was raw, unfiltered, and undeniably commanding — and for Maher, it was exactly the kind of alpha leadership Democrats lack.
That was Maher’s next major point: the Democratic Party has no alpha, no magnetic figure who instinctively understands how to own a room, command loyalty, and project power without apology. In Maher’s words, “It’s not Tim Walz,” referencing the Minnesota governor and rumored 2024 VP prospect with the dismissive air of a man who’s seen enough political cardboard cutouts to last a lifetime.
Maher argued that Trump taps into something “post-civilization”, something raw and human — something deeply embedded in the cultural DNA of the nation’s voters. “You’ve got to appeal to people at a sort of post-civilization stage… and Trump does it better than anybody.”
Adding to the intrigue, Maher recently visited the Trump White House, in a meeting reportedly brokered by Kid Rock and attended by UFC CEO Dana White. The group reportedly bonded over shared views on “ending wokeness” and “securing the border” — two signature Trump talking points that have grown only more potent in the current political climate.
While the podcast episode was taped before that visit, Maher’s tone suggests he’s inching toward a more nuanced view of Trump — not as a figure he agrees with ideologically, but as a political force whose presence cannot be dismissed or diminished.