‘Donald Trump the only president when…’: Comedian Bill Maher accuses US President of ‘flirting with authoritarianism’

Comedian Bill Maher, who recently joined the US President for a dinner, didn't mince his words while unleashing a scathing critique of Donald Trump during his Friday show, Real Time with Bill Maher.

A longtime Trump critic, Maher has won surprising conservative support for slamming "wokeness," but on Friday, he made it clear: a dinner with Trump won't silence his warnings about looming dangers.

Grateful Trump broke his promises, Maher said, “Trump is the only president when you’re relieved when he doesn’t keep his campaign promises.”

Highlighting Trump's remarks about staying in office beyond two terms, despite the constitutional ban, Maher accused him of “flirting with authoritarianism”. He also warned that dictator jokes don't remain jokes for long.

“That’s the problem with dictator jokes. They don’t stay jokes. And flirting with authoritarianism doesn’t stay flirting,” Maher warned.

The comedian drew a parallel between MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters and cheating in a relationship, and said, “Humans cannot be trusted to just flirt with other attractive humans, and the MAGA crowd cannot be trusted to flirt with dictatorship.”

“Not everyone who flirts cheats. But all cheating starts with flirting.”

Dinner with Donald Trump

Earlier, Bill Maher shared details of his end-of-March dinner with Trump at the show. The dinner was brokered after American singer-songwriter Kid Rock urged the sit-down.

Maher said the dinner is a proof that he could be objective, and confessed, “Everything I’ve not liked about him was, I swear to God, absent.”

“I've gotten some sh*t from the loony left for just reporting, honestly, how the president responded in private when I was criticizing him to his face,” Maher said.

“I was truthful about it. And that gives me standing to say to conservatives,” he joked.

Donald Trump mentioned earlier that he initially didn't like meeting Bill Maher but thought it would be interesting.

In his post, Trump wrote, “I got a call from a very good guy, and friend of mine, Kid Rock, asking me whether or not it would be possible for me to meet, in the White House, with Bill Maher, a man who has been unjustifiably critical of anything, or anyone, TRUMP.”

“I really didn't like the idea much, and don't like it much now, but thought it would be interesting,” he added.