Bill Maher claims Donald Trump ultimately holds those who blindly agree with him in low regard, despite the president’s well-documented demand for total loyalty.
Bill Maher sat down with Fareed Zakaria on “GPS” to dismantle the common perception that Donald Trump is exclusively served by a choir of yes-men. While the president’s track record suggests he prizes loyalty above all else—often punishing dissenters like Senator Tom Cotton. who faced a public doxxing following his opposition to the president’s daylight saving time agenda—Maher sees a different dynamic beneath the surface.
To Maher, the president’s demand for obedience from everyone, including his own Supreme Court appointees, masks a deeper frustration. He argues that Trump is, in effect, trapped by his own standards. The president wants the subservience, yet he ultimately lacks respect for the people who provide it.
“He’s that guy who wants you to kiss his ass, but then he doesn’t respect you when you do,” Maher told Zakaria.
He suggested that the president’s fluctuating opinions allow for a degree of influence that many in his orbit are failing to utilize. Because Trump frames so many of his decisions around the nebulous weight of “people are saying. ” Maher believes the president’s circle has become stale. Instead of meaningful engagement, the president is surrounded by what the comedian characterized as “boring ass kissers.”.
The irony is not lost on Maher. Despite the fact that Trump reportedly attempted to block him from receiving the Mark Twain Prize, and has publicly dissed him even while acknowledging he likes him, Maher insists he would still break bread with the president if invited.
For Maher, the objective is engagement rather than isolation. He maintains that he would rather be in the room, keeping a conversation alive, than standing on the sidelines. In his view, walking away from that dialogue guarantees nothing will ever change.
Bill Maher Donald Trump Tom Cotton Fareed Zakaria GPS Mark Twain Prize US Politics