THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?
SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).
- Trump hosted Bill Maher, Stephen A. Smith and Kid Rock for a lengthy White House dinner Thursday night.
- The president claimed Maher and Smith like him more than their public commentary suggests, accusing them of maintaining a political facade.
- Kid Rock called the dinner “epic” and said all four found common ground opposing socialism and communism in government.
LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).
Donald Trump had a rather unusual dinner party at the White House.
Bill Maher. Stephen A. Smith. Kid Rock.
One president, three outspoken entertainers and enough political opinions to keep the Secret Service busy long after dessert.
But according to Trump, the most interesting thing about Thursday night’s gathering wasn’t what his guests said at the table.
It was what he thinks they really believe when the television cameras aren’t rolling.
Speaking with reporters Friday, Trump praised the dinner and suggested that Maher and Smith’s public criticism of him doesn’t tell the whole story. “The dinner last with Kid Rock and Stephen A and Bill Maher was great,” Trump said. “I think they had a good time.”
Then came his theory about his guests’ public personas. “We talked about everything. It lasted a long time. And even though they have to sort of put on a certain little facade for their people, they like Trump,” the president said.
That’s quite a claim about two men who have made criticizing presidents and politicians a profitable part of their careers.
Maher has been particularly outspoken about Trump, even while defending his willingness to speak with people whose politics he opposes. Smith has also criticized the president on numerous issues, though he has shown an interest in interviewing political figures across party lines.
Trump apparently sees something more personal behind the political disagreements. “They like Trump, and I actually like them,” he said. “We had a great time.”
Kid Rock, who makes no secret of his support for Trump, supplied an account of the evening during Friday’s “Fox & Friends.”
His review was concise. “It was epic.”
The musician said he was encouraged that two people he described as Democrats and two Republicans could sit together and discuss major national issues without the whole evening collapsing into an argument.
“Two Democrats, two Republicans sit down, break bread, have laughs, talk about, have tough conversations on a lot of the issues,” he said.
And those issues weren’t limited to the president’s favorite dinner conversation. Kid Rock said the group discussed the war involving Iran, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and challenges facing American communities.
Maher reportedly raised concerns about Afghan interpreters and others who assisted American forces during the war.
Smith discussed employment issues affecting Black women and the future of financial support for historically Black colleges and universities.
Those are substantive topics, and there’s no evidence that the guests agreed on every one of them.
But Kid Rock did identify one point of consensus.
“We all agreed socialism and communism has no place to have a foothold in our government,” he said.
That statement attracted attention because Maher and Smith aren’t exactly familiar faces at conservative campaign rallies.
Of course, opposing communism or socialism in government does not necessarily mean supporting every Republican policy or opposing all Democratic candidates.
Still, Kid Rock clearly enjoyed finding an area of agreement.
He also suggested that Trump’s past support for historically Black colleges and universities deserved recognition during the conversation.
The dinner follows earlier meetings between Maher and Trump that drew criticism from viewers who believed the comedian should avoid socializing with the president.
Maher has argued that political disagreement should not prevent conversations, even unpleasant ones.
Four prominent personalities with very different public images spent an evening talking, arguing and apparently enjoying one another’s company.
DBS WIRE SOURCES (I’ve got all day).
- Fox News — Kid Rock describes White House dinner with Trump, Maher and Smith
- Mediaite — Trump says Bill Maher likes him more than viewers understand
- Fox News Video — Kid Rock recounts the dinner
- OutKick — White House gathering and participants’ reported points of agreement
- Hannity — Trump’s comments to reporters about his dinner guests
