Trump Attacks Bill Maher After Leavitt Interview

US President Donald Trump launched a lengthy attack on television host Bill Maher on Sunday evening, October 25, 2026, accusing the comedian of misrepresenting his administration in a post on Truth Social. The 1,300-word message followed Maher's interview with former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, where they discussed Trump's political standing ahead of the US midterm elections.

Trump criticized Maher's television program, his comedy and his audience while disputing several subjects raised during the interview. His comments came about a week before the midterm elections, as Republicans faced challenges from Democratic opponents.

In his post, Trump opened his criticism of Maher with a personal attack on the host and his television program.

"Let's talk about this COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSER, Bill Maher," Trump wrote.

Trump also questioned the program's audience figures and criticized HBO, arguing that the network had declined from its earlier reputation.

"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 wrote.

The president accused Maher of privately praising him while publicly making him the subject of jokes. He also criticized the audience's laughter and threatened to discourage Republicans from promoting the host.

"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.

The confrontation followed Maher's discussion with Leavitt about Trump's political future and how he might respond if Republicans suffered significant losses in the upcoming elections.

Maher raised concerns about the president's potential reaction to a Republican defeat, focusing on his reduced political influence and what Maher described as a tendency toward retaliation.

"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," Maher told Leavitt.

Leavitt maintained her support for Trump during the interview and expressed confidence that Republicans could perform better than expected in the midterm elections.

Trump also disputed Maher's remarks about the Justice Department's efforts concerning ballots in California that officials claimed had been cast by noncitizens. The president challenged discussion of rumors that the White House press briefing room would be converted into a swimming pool and criticized Maher's comments about his endorsements of Republican candidates.

The president's criticism came as public polling indicated growing dissatisfaction among Americans with his handling of the economy, the cost of living and the war with Iran. The source article did not identify specific polls or provide numerical results.

Trump has previously targeted late-night television personalities over jokes about him and his family. Earlier in 2026, he called for Jimmy Kimmel's show to be terminated after the ABC host joked about Melania Trump. In 2025, Trump also called for Seth Meyers to be fired.

Maher, described in the source report as a moderate liberal, has dined with Trump twice during the president's second administration and discussed those experiences on his HBO program. Trump used his latest post to criticize Maher's behavior during their dinners, including his alcohol consumption, and called him a "POTHEAD." He also accused the host of catering to viewers who "don't like working."