When Donald Trump fires off a Truth Social post, it usually means someone has gotten under his skin. This past Saturday, May 2nd, that someone was Bill Maher and the network that dared to put him on screen was none other than Fox News.
It started with a segment on Fox News' The Big Weekend Show, which discussed Maher's recent interview with Gavin Newsom on Real Time. The hosts were actually praising Maher for pushing back on the California governor over the state's notoriously over-budget, still-unfinished high-speed rail project. But Trump wasn't interested in the nuance. As far as he was concerned, Fox News had no business amplifying Maher's voice at all.
"Don't Use Bill Maher Any Longer"
In his post, Trump made his position crystal clear conservative outlets, he argued, keep making Maher "relevant" when they shouldn't be. He described Maher as "weak and ineffective," and recalled a dinner at the White House where he said Maher walked into the Oval Office visibly nervous and immediately asked for a drink. Trump called the moment "endearing" but also "absolutely pathetic."
He acknowledged that Maher might come across differently than people expect in person, but that didn't translate into any sympathy when it came to the Newsom interview.
Trump Takes Aim at Newsom Too
Watching the interview clearly irritated Trump on multiple levels. He wasn't just unhappy with Maher's performance he was furious that Newsom, whom he mockingly referred to as "Gavin Newscum," managed to dominate the conversation. In Trump's telling, Maher opened by criticizing California's condition, only for Newsom to take over the discussion and, according to Trump, spend the rest of the segment painting a rosy picture of a state that Trump believes is in serious decline.
Trump rattled off a list of California's problems the homelessness crisis, the destruction caused by the Los Angeles fires, the struggling neighborhoods of San Francisco, and the high-speed rail project that has burned through billions without ever being completed. He credited EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and himself for pushing home rebuilding efforts forward following the fires, suggesting nothing would be happening without federal intervention.
His core complaint about the interview was simple: Maher, in his view, had no answer for Newsom's claims and either lacked the facts or crumbled under pressure. "Bill Maher was defenseless, and totally deficient," Trump wrote bluntly.
A Direct Message to Fox News
What made this post stand out was Trump turning his attention directly to Fox News a network that has largely remained his most reliable media ally. He told the outlet plainly that by leaning on Maher as some kind of political reference point, they were making themselves look "weak, stupid, and ineffective." He ended that section in all caps: "DON'T USE BILL MAHER ANY LONGER AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF YOU!"
It's a rare moment where Trump publicly scolded a network that has consistently supported his political messaging. The frustration, it seems, came from a place of loyalty he doesn't want voices he considers hostile to conservatism being treated as credible commentators by right-leaning media.
Kimmel Gets a Parting Shot
True to form, Trump couldn't wrap up without taking a swing at another target. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who recently made headlines for a joke about Melania Trump that Trump found deeply offensive, got pulled into the post as a closing comparison. Trump called Maher a "moron" but conceded he was "slightly more talented than Jimmy Kimmel" a backhanded dig that managed to insult both men in a single breath.
The post closed with Trump signing off in his signature style full name, title, capital letters and all.
The Bigger Picture
What this episode really reveals is Trump's ongoing effort to shape how conservative media operates. He's not just a president who consumes cable news he actively tries to influence what stories get covered and whose voices get amplified. Whether Fox News takes note of his frustration remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: when Trump feels his media allies are stepping out of line, he's not shy about saying so publicly.
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