Maher questioned Trump’s lame-duck presidency while Leavitt defended him

Photo caption: Bill Maher attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar party on 15 March 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Photograph: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic.

Bill Maher, a late-night television host, used his interview with Karoline Leavitt, the former White House press secretary, on Real Time with Bill Maher to ask about Donald Trump’s “lame duck” presidency and whether the president would act on “vengeance” if Republicans largely lost to Democrats in the next week’s midterms. Trump’s response came on Sunday evening in a 1,300-word Truth Social post that called Maher a “TOTAL LOSER” and criticized his HBO show.

Maher told Leavitt: “I worry that if this election goes as badly as it looks like it’s going to go for him and the Republicans, we’re going to have a guy who doesn’t have as much power as he did … and we know he likes vengeance.” Leavitt remained supportive of Trump and expressed confidence that Republicans could still outperform expectations.

Trump wrote, “Let’s talk about this COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSER, Bill Maher,” and added, “He’s got a Low Rated Show on equally Low Rated HBO, which was once, long ago, a Network of Quality and Excitement – But that’s all gone.”

Trump also called Maher a “coward who is afraid to tell the truth about how well our Country is running” and claimed Maher praised him behind the scenes but insulted him with jokes on television. He added, “Also, turn your Laugh Machine off, it’s a joke when they laugh uncontrollably, even when you say nothing funny, and I’m going to have the Republicans not cover you anymore, because they try to talk about you as a guy who is transformative,” Trump wrote.

Trump disputed several talking points Maher had made on his show. They included Maher’s comments about Justice Department efforts to target ballots that the Justice Department claimed had been cast by noncitizens in California, rumors that Trump was turning the White House press briefing room into a swimming pool and Trump’s endorsement of Republican candidates in the upcoming midterms.

Trump’s lengthy post came just about a week before the U.S. midterm elections, with Republicans trying to fend off challenges from Democratic opponents. The Guardian said public polling showed Americans were growing increasingly unhappy with Trump’s handling of the U.S. economy, cost of living and the war with Iran.

The Guardian reported that Trump had previously criticized late-night hosts and comedians on his platform. Earlier this year, Trump used his platform to call for ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show to be terminated after Kimmel joked about Melania Trump. Last year, Trump also used his platform to call for Seth Meyers to be fired.

Trump accused Maher of drinking a lot of alcohol when they dined together, called him a “POTHEAD,” said he was not nice and accused him of catering to a base of viewers who “don’t like working.” Maher had dined with Trump on two occasions during Trump’s second administration and had shared his experience with Trump on his HBO show. The Guardian described Maher as a moderate liberal.