PALM BEACH, Florida – Despite having dined together at the White House, President Donald Trump is reigniting his long-running feud with Bill Maher, saying the HBO host was “defenseless and totally deficient” in his Friday interview of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I hate seeing Fox, and other Conservative Outlets, constantly making Low Rated Bill Maher ‘relevant’ as it pertains to the Republican Party, and beyond,” Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday evening.
“I happened to watch Gavin Newscum, an admittedly Low IQ person, who said he can’t read a speech, is dumb, and essentially, incompetent, and he took Bill Maher ‘over the coals.’ Bill Maher was defenseless, and totally deficient.
Bill Maher stops Gavin Newsom mid-rant and forces him to confront how he’s copying Trump’s style at every turn.
The more Newsom tried to explain himself, the deeper he dug his own grave.
NEWSOM: “To me that’s the biggest reflection of this moment, is how…the…just the sewer… pic.twitter.com/4OgOgULYfY
— Overton (@overton_news) May 2, 2026
“Either he didn’t have the knowledge, or he choked, because Gavin went on and on about how good California is doing, while it’s doing very poorly, having, by far, the worst year it’s ever had where, for the first time in History, more people are leaving than coming.
“Bill Maher started by saying that California was doing poorly, only to have Newscum speak for an extended period of time, and lie about the facts. All you have to do is look at what’s happened to Los Angeles, San Francisco, the horrendous homeless problem all over every street, the Railway catastrophe that is Billions of Dollars over budget, and has never been built, the inability to rebuild the 25,000 homes that were destroyed by the fire because he refused to allow water into the street from the Southwest (If it weren’t for our Superstar EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and me, they wouldn’t have any homes being built right now!).
“Fox should stop putting this person on. He’s not representing us. You look weak, stupid, and ineffective, and I hate seeing that. DON’T USE BILL MAHER ANY LONGER AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF YOU! I hate hearing that ‘Bill Maher said…’ – Bill Maher is a MORON, though slightly more talented than Jimmy Kimmel.”
At times during the interview, Maher did mention Newsom’s failures as governor including his disastrous high-speed rail project, noting, “Are they going to say good about gas prices? Are they going to say good about how high their rents are?
🚨Bill Maher just turned on his delusional “friend” Gavin Newsom live on air, brutally calling out the high-speed rail disaster that’s blown past $231 billion with almost nothing built.
“You got to let that train go!” pic.twitter.com/DHic9pnuOC
— Don Keith (@RealDonKeith) May 2, 2026
“So many people live … I mean there’s a whole litany. I mean the train! Gavin, you got to get rid of the train! I say this as a friend, you got to let that train go! Let the train go. It’s up to $231 billion.”
Tomi Lahren of Fox News’ “Big Weekend Show” thought Maher did an admirable job standing up to Newsom, indicating: “I love the way Bill Maher called him out. Gavin’s so smug he doesn’t know how to take that question.”
“Every time he’s asked about the failures in California, he repeats the same thing. He says ‘fourth largest economy in the world’ – yeah, but that’s not because of your leadership. That’s because California is a great state. You are doing everything you can, Gavin, to kill it. You and the Democrats who run it.”
🚨 NEW: Fox News’ @TomiLahren SLAMS Gavin Newsom after Bill Maher grilled him on California’s mess: ‘I love the way Bill Maher called him out. Gavin’s so smug he doesn’t know how to take that question.’
‘Every time he’s asked about the failures in California, he repeats the same… pic.twitter.com/rwzvDIxjED
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) May 2, 2026
“The fact he wants to run for president we all know but he can’t take a simple question from a friendly interviewer, Bill Maher? Boy Gavin! Kamala might come knocking on your back door – she might actually be more powerful than you!”
Trump also noted: “Bill Maher is a weak and ineffective person who I got to know very well during my dinner with him at the White House. He was nervous, scared, and the first words he uttered as he entered the Oval Office were, ‘Can I have a drink?’ It was very endearing but, at the same time, absolutely pathetic.”
Follow Joe on X @JoeKovacsNews
Trump goes nuclear on Bill Maher: ‘There is nothing that will ever be done to cure him’
