Bill Maher compares WH dinner with Trump to Richard Nixon’s China trip: ‘It will accomplish very little’

WASHINGTON, DC: Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher is stepping into unfamiliar territory dining with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Maher, a longtime critic of Trump, acknowledged the irony of the meeting, comparing it to Richard Nixon’s groundbreaking visit to China in 1972, Mediaite reported.

Bill Maher on White House dinner with Donald Trump

During an appearance on 'The Chris Cuomo Project' podcast, Bill Maher discussed his upcoming dinner with the president. He shared with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo that he would soon be heading to the White House for the meal, an arrangement made possible by musician Kid Rock, framing it as an opportunity for unity in a deeply divided America.

While Maher dismissed the idea that he could “heal” the nation, he admitted that simply sitting down together could send a powerful message.

Maher explained to Cuomo that the dinner was framed as a step toward healing the country. However, he was quick to dismiss the notion saying, “Now, I don’t have some sort of complex where I think I can heal America, I can’t. Okay, let’s get that clear. I’m not going to be healing America.”

“There was nobody harder on Trump,” Maher told Cuomo. “But if two guys who’ve been at each other for so long, I mean, it’s kind of a Nixon to China thing. I have the credentials. There was nobody who was harder on Trump or more prescient about the fact that he wasn’t going to leave office voluntarily than I was," he further said.

In 1972, Nixon became the first US president to travel to China, marking a historic moment in diplomacy. The trip was a strategic move aimed at strengthening economic ties between the two nations. Nixon dubbed it "the week that changed the world".

Kid Rock, who brokered the meeting, recently told Glenn Beck that his goal was to prove that two people with wildly different views could still find common ground.

“It will probably accomplish very little, but you gotta try, man, you gotta try,” Maher said.

Bill Maher calls White House invite an ‘honor’

Bill Maher shared his excitement about having a private dinner at the White House, after years of criticizing President Donald Trump.

“It's an honor to be invited to the White House,” Maher said. “I’m impressed by it a lot. I’m impressed the f**k out of it. I get to go to the White house and, yes, that is the structure of this dinner is just let’s talk. Let’s talk to each other face to face. Let’s not stop shouting from 3,000 miles away, you know?” he added.

While Maher is willing to sit down with Trump, he made it clear that his views haven’t changed.

"If they expect me to be leaving in a MAGA hat, they’re gonna be very disappointed, but I know they don’t. And I think it’s gonna be, you know, look, it probably will accomplish very little, but you gotta try, man. You gotta try," said the 'Real Time' host.