Bill Maher accepts Mark Twain Prize as he jokes about Trump's Kennedy Center tarp: 'It's hysterical'

WASHINGTON, DC: Comedian Bill Maher on Sunday, June 28, called the tarp covering the Kennedy Center facade "hysterical" as he arrived to accept the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Guests arriving at the venue were met by a large tarp covering much of the building's facade after workers removed Trump's name from the Kennedy Center following a court order earlier this month. Maher also brushed aside Trump's repeated public criticism of him, saying he preferred continued dialogue over political silence.

Maher calls Trump Kennedy Center tarp 'hysterical' 

Maher reacted to the tarp covering the Kennedy Center facade with amusement. "I think it's hysterical. … I mean, as much as you could try to think of his next move, you could never do it. Only he could think of that. The tarp. I just never would have gone there. To me it just makes it better and funnier, and it's a funny event celebrating funny," he said. 

Maher also dismissed suggestions that the political dispute surrounding the Kennedy Center should have prevented him from accepting the award. "He's president. He's a caretaker. He's an employee right now. The country endures. You really think because he was president I was going to let all that stop here."

He added that every guest he invited to participate in the ceremony accepted. Trump was not expected to attend the event, though Maher joked, "He will probably never see this, unless he comes, which is also possible, because anything is possible."

The Kennedy Center has said the scaffolding and tarp remain in place as part of an ongoing renovation project. A federal judge has ordered the center to explain the purpose of the tarp by the end of next month as litigation over Trump's name on the building continues.

Maher says Trump's criticism 'is just his way of talking'

Ahead of the ceremony, Maher also addressed his often-contentious relationship with Trump during an interview with CNN.

"You know, the last 4 or 5 times he's been public about me, it's all it's all back to yelling and screaming," Maher said. "I'm this, I'm terrible, I'm a lunatic liberal, I'm a lunatic, I'm a lightweight, So we're back to that. It's okay."

Despite Trump's repeated social media attacks, Maher said he would rather continue engaging than shut down communication across political lines. "I'd rather be fighting and yelling. And that's just his way of talking to people," Maher continued. "You know, you just kind of have to accept it. I'd rather the channels be open, and anything is better than channels just being shut off."

Maher was among several high-profile guests attending the Mark Twain Prize ceremony at the Kennedy Center, where comedians Louis CK and Jay Leno joined public figures including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Senator John Fetterman in honoring him.