Trump Bill Maher Truth Social rant: 'COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSER' post lands a week before midterms
Donald Trump posted a roughly 1,300-word Truth Social rant attacking Bill Maher on Sunday evening, days before the US midterm elections, after Maher questioned former press secretary Karoline Leavitt about Trump's 'lame duck' presidency.
Trump Bill Maher Truth Social rant: 'COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSER' post lands a week before midterms
What set Trump off
The Truth Social rant followed Maher's interview with Karoline Leavitt, the former White House press secretary, on Real Time with Bill Maher. Maher asked Leavitt about Trump's "lame duck" presidency and whether the president would act on "vengeance" if Republicans fared badly in the midterms.
- Maher said on air he worried that if the election went as badly as it looked for Trump and the Republicans, a weakened president would seek vengeance
- Leavitt stood by Trump and said she was confident Republicans could still outperform expectations in the midterms
What Trump wrote
Trump opened the post by writing: "Let's talk about this COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSER, Bill Maher", describing Maher's show on HBO as low-rated. He called Maher a coward afraid to tell the truth about how well the country is running, and claimed the host praises him privately while insulting him on television.
The post also carried personal accusations: Trump said Maher drank a lot of alcohol when the two dined together, called him a "POTHEAD", and said he caters to viewers who do not like working.
"Let's talk about this COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSER, Bill Maher"
Trump also told Maher to turn off his "Laugh Machine", calling it a joke when the audience laughs uncontrollably even when nothing funny is said, and threatened to have Republicans no longer cover the show.
Points Trump disputed
Trump pushed back on specific claims Maher raised on the program:
- Justice department moves against ballots in California that officials claimed came from noncitizen voters
- Talk that Trump planned to convert the press briefing room into a swimming pool
- Trump's choices of candidates to endorse for the midterms
A pattern against late-night hosts
The attack fits Trump's record with late-night hosts: earlier this year he called for Jimmy Kimmel's show to be terminated after the ABC host joked about Melania Trump, and last year he called for Seth Meyers to be fired. Maher, described as a moderate liberal, has dined with Trump twice during his second administration and discussed the meetings on his HBO show.
The rant landed as public polling shows Americans growing increasingly unhappy with Trump's handling of the US economy, the cost of living and the war with Iran. It came about a week before the US midterm elections, where Republicans are trying to fend off Democratic challenges.
