Bill Maher has taunted Donald Trump over a recent honorary awards win that was handed to the talk show host.
Maher, 70, was confirmed last week as the recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The announcement at the time was met with firm denial from White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, though it was confirmed a short while after MAGA-leaning GOP members aired their anger. Maher has since hit back at Trump and his team, The Hill reported.
Speaking to his audience during a recording of HBO's Real Time, Maher said he was honored to have been selected and even wanted the president to be at the ceremony when he receives the award.
He said, "You know, this has been going on a long time. So him trying to block me from getting it – I respect the move. Keep it going, baby. I just want things to work out, and also I want to say thank you, OK?
"I will be there, Don, and I hope you will be too. I mean, the place is named after you now, you really should show up. You could thank me for being one of the few people on the lunatic left who’s glad you hit Iran and is hoping we win that one, OK?"
A statement from Maher, seen by Politico at the time of the award announcement, reads, "Thank you to the Mark Twain people: I just had the award explained to me, and apparently it’s like an Emmy, except I win.
"I’d just like to say that it is indeed humbling to get anything named for a man who’s been thrown out of as many school libraries as Mark Twain."
Maher will be presented with the Mark Twain Prize for Humor at one of the last public events at the Kennedy Center before its two-year shutdown. The show is set to be broadcast by Netflix.
Bill Maher has faced criticism from liberal audiences over his commentary on various political issues, including immigration policy, cancel culture, and social movements. Some progressives have accused him of shifting rightward on certain topics, leading to decreased support among his traditionally liberal viewership and online backlash on social media platforms.