Bill Maher finds Trump’s persona ‘different’ in real life, reveals POTUS signed list of his insults

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: 'Real Time' host Bill Maher said in the latest episode of his show that he found President Donald Trump's persona in real life quite different from what he sees on television.

Maher detailed how his dinner with President Trump at the White House on March 31 went.

The host also shared a printout of a list of insults that Trump had leveled at him over the years, which the POTUS signed with "good humor", per Fox News.

Bill Maher says Donald Trump was 'gracious and measured'

Bill Maher, who has been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, broke into a lengthy monologue on the April 11, Friday, episode of 'Real Time With Bill Maher', describing his highly-anticipated visit to the White House.

 "You can hate me for it, but I'm not a liar. Trump was gracious and measured. And why isn't that in other settings — I don't know, and I can't answer, and it's not my place to answer. I'm just telling you what I saw, and I wasn't high."

The talk show host also mocked those who treated his White House visit like "some kind of summit" brokered by Kid Rock, calling them "ridiculous".

He said, "I have no power. I'm a f**king comedian, and he's the most powerful leader in the world! I'm not the leader of anything, except maybe a contingent of centrist-minded people who think there's got to be a better way of running this country than hating each other every minute."

"OK, so meet up in person, maybe it'll be different. Spoiler alert, it was," said Maher.

He said that several liberals thought he would say nice things about Trump after the White House visit.

"What I'm gonna do is report exactly what happened," said Maher, adding, "You decide what you think about it."

He clarified, "So no, I didn't go MAGA. And to the president's credit, there was no pressure to."

Maher mentioned that he was surprised over how Trump laughs, something he had never seen the president doing in public.

"Just for starters, he laughs! I've never seen him laugh in public. But he does, including at himself. And it's not fake. Believe me, as a comedian of 40 years, I know a fake laugh when I hear it," said Maher.

Bill Maher credits Donald Trump for being 'much more self-aware'

During the show, Bill Maher credited Donald Trump for being "much more self-aware than he lets on in public."

He revealed that the topic of the 2020 election came up during his White House visit, and Trump "didn't get mad" when the talk show host brought up the POTUS' rare admission that he had lost.

"He didn't get mad. He’s much more self-aware than he lets on in public," said the talk show host.

He continued, "I've had so many conversations with prominent people who are much less connected, people who don't look you in the eye, people don't really listen because they just want to get to their next thing… None of that was him, and he mostly steered the conversation to ‘What do you think about this?’ I know, your mind is blown. So is mine."

Maher added that in multiple instances, he cracked a joke at Trump's expense or contradicted him on different topics, but it was not a problem between the two.

"I never felt I had to walk on eggshells around him. And honestly, I voted for Clinton and Obama, but I would never feel comfortable talking to them the way I was able to talk with Donald Trump. That's just how it went down. Make of it what you will. Me? I feel it's emblematic of why the Democrats are so unpopular these days," he said.

During the show, Maher held up the printout of Trump's insults to him which the president had signed “with good humor.”

"A crazy person doesn't live in the White House, a person who plays a crazy person on TV a lot lives there, which I know is f**ked up. It's just not as f**ked up as I thought it was, and I have no illusions now that I'm back to work at my job, that he might start a new list," said Maher.

"Because I don't have a good feeling and will be critical about a lot of what he's doing- the trade war and disappearing people, ruling by decree, threatening judges, gutting the government with glee. But I also think he now understands I have a job to do," he added.

Internet praises Donald Trump after Bill Maher's monologue on his White House visit

Many social media users praised Donald Trump after Bill Maher said he found the president's persona different in real life, even calling him "gracious and measured".

A user wrote on X, "Always happy to see people having conversations with those they disagree with. This is how we grow and evolve as a people", while one added, "This is great. I’m glad to see people from different perspectives get along. This is what America is about."

An online comment read, "Actually alot of Trump's public persona is calm, measured kind, humorous, and informative, especially when dealing with the press and other outsiders who are guests, like sports teams."

An individual wrote, "Trump isn't afraid to talk to anyone. He'll have anyone come in, sit down and chat. Common politicians are just another form of actors. They say what they think you want to hear. Like him or hate him,...Trump is a real person."

A user also wrote, "Those who have had the opportunity to meet President Trump in private consistently share a similar sentiment."

Another commented, "I love Trump, always have, and I could care less what others think about him. He’s the right man, at the right time, to get this country back on track."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.