Talk show host Bill Maher admitted on his podcast "Club Random" that he derives a sense of vicarious pleasure from watching President Donald Trump confront journalists during tense interviews. Maher described this dynamic as something he wishes he could emulate, particularly when he feels journalists are being unfair or disingenuous.
"And it's funny, you know, you want to say it back to the media and I won't about, anything, because you just don't want to pick that fight with them," Maher said during a conversation with guest Kevin Spacey. He elaborated that seeing Trump express his unfiltered thoughts, even if confrontational, resonates with him. Maher cited instances where Trump might directly tell a journalist, "You're a terrible person!" or dismiss a question as a "gotcha thing" or an example of "virtue-signaling."
Maher suggested that he has often had similar thoughts but refrains from vocalizing them due to the potential fallout. "But sometimes when I see Trump just speak his complete internal monologue without, doing things that, it's just like – he will say something, and the one I'm thinking of is like, I've wanted to say that," Maher explained. He praised Trump for what he perceived as a refusal to be cowed by the press.
This sentiment comes amid Maher's complex relationship with the former president, which has involved both criticism and occasional, though often barbed, acknowledgments. Maher recently accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, an event where an impersonator portraying Trump criticized Maher's reception of the award. Maher has previously used his platform to criticize Trump on various policy issues and political stances.