Bill Maher hits Donald Trump with his biggest compliment so far after WH meeting: 'He has that thing'

WASHINGTON, DC: Bill Maher — who’s made a living skewering Donald Trump weekly for nearly a decade — just shared his most jaw-dropping take yet on the US President after meeting with him at the White House last week.

During a candid chat with former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo on his 'Club Random' podcast, the comedian peeled back the sarcasm and laid it all out. “Whatever you think of the policy and him as a person… just as a politician,” Maher said, “Trump is one of the most effective politicians.”

When Donald Trump made Bill Maher do a double take

Bill Maher, who regularly torches Donald Trump on HBO’s 'Real Time', isn’t exactly known for handing out compliments to the former real estate mogul.

But this time, he seemed genuinely floored by Trump’s mojo—especially his instincts, timing, and unapologetic audacity.

Maher pointed to two specific Trump moments that — despite all his moral objections — left him rather impressed, the Daily Mail reported. The first was Trump's handling of the Taliban during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Maher recounted how Trump supposedly showed a Taliban official a satellite photo of his house and warned, “This is an aerial picture of your house. If during our withdrawal one American is hurt, just know I know where you live.” 

“I was like, 'Oh can we just play the music now?' Because I don't care it's Donald Trump and he's the worst person ever, blah, blah, blah. I f*****g love that!” Maher gushed.

The second moment that made Maher raise an eyebrow happened when Trump took a defiant stand for his hometown.

“One time they were doing something, something was going on, and he said, ‘You know what? When you come after New York, you got to go through me,’” Maher recalled. “It’s like, oh, hometown boy.”

Democrats keep putting up 'Tims'

It's worth noting that Bill Maher isn’t jumping on the Trump Train. He went out of his way to clarify that he still finds Donald Trump repulsive in many ways. For instance, the president's infamous 2015 jab at late Sen John McCain. 

“I really, really hated that,” Maher said. “I mean, people… if you get shot down, you’re not a hero? It was so offensive.”

But while Maher isn’t co-signing Trump’s behavior, he is urging Democrats to learn something from him.

“You know, he has those moments that no other politician has,” Maher said. “And the Democrats have to find that guy. But let’s be real, they’ve been searching for years, and they’re still coming up empty.”

"He is daddy," Maher said. "People want a daddy. And Democrats keep putting up Tims. He has that thing. And no one else has it."

Donald Trump voices his 'interior monologue'

Bill Maher’s analysis cut deeper than just charisma. He suggested that Donald Trump’s appeal goes beyond messaging or policy platforms. According to him, the real magic is Trump’s authenticity.

“People are not savvy about issues, but they smell a phony a mile away,” Maher said. “And that kind of s**t, nobody else does it.”

Maher argued that while most politicians get bogged down in consultants and focus groups, Trump has a unique advantage. “This guy just voices his interior monologue,” he said. “And voters eat it up.”

In Maher’s world, Trump doesn’t win because he’s smarter or more informed - he wins because he’s real in a way others aren’t.

When it came to Democrats’ obsession with “messaging,” Maher couldn’t help but poke fun.

“They always say message. ‘They didn’t hear our message,’” he mocked. “Yeah, first of all they did, and they don’t like it. Second, they don’t give a s**t. It’s not about the message. Trump changes his message every day, and it doesn’t matter.”

Behind closed doors at White House

Bill Maher recently met Donald Trump face-to-face alongside Kid Rock. The comedian recently had a private sit-down with the US leader at the White House. The two political opposites bonded over a mutual love of “ending wokeness” and “securing the border.”

Kid Rock even claimed Maher’s “mind was blown” by the whole encounter. But Maher’s keeping all the interesting details under wraps for now—teasing that he’ll spill all on April 11.

You can watch Bill Maher's complete 'Club Random' podcast with Chris Cuomo here: