The most recent Real Time With Bill Maher episode concerned Maher’s recent White House meeting with Donald J. Trump. Maher’s shtick is a unique comic style. He portrays himself as a truth-seeker with no limits. He proudly proclaims his atheism, libertarianism, political incorrectness, and satire. He skewers every shade of the political spectrum, except for libertarian causes such as the legalization of cannabis. His satire is unsparing for political correctness and hypocrisy.
Predictably, when Maher accepted the dinner invitation arranged by musician Kid Rock, he was criticized for implicitly endorsing Trump. However, this criticism did not phase Maher. He attended and his report on Trump was:
“I went into the mine, and that’s what’s down there. A crazy person doesn’t live in the White House, a person who plays a crazy person on TV a lot lives there, which I know is f—– up. It’s just not as f—– up as I thought it was,” Maher told the audience.
“That’s my report. You can hate me for it, but I’m not a liar. Trump was gracious and measured. And why he isn’t that in other settings, I don’t know, and I can’t answer, and it’s not my place to answer. I’m just telling you what I saw, and I wasn’t high,” he concluded.
Having dinner with Trump is not an endorsement, but Maher’s report of the dinner reveals two possibilities.
The first possibility is that Trump has a personality similar to that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Maher reported that throughout the dinner, Trump was not the crazy person he expected. He said Trump exposed the emotions of a normal human. He was self-deprecating, self-aware, and not defensive when Maher satirized him to his face. Maher reported that he expected the crazy Trump but did not see him at the dinner.
The other possibility is that Trump “played” Maher. If, as many speculate, Trump is a psychopath, then it would make sense that Trump needed an independent-type celebrity to declare that he is simply a normal human playing a crazy person role as President. Interestingly, after Maher’s segment on the Trump dinner, columnist Josh Rogin suggested to Maher that he had fallen into Trump’s trap. However, Maher’s patented objectivity and independence seemed to fail after Rogin challenged his perception of the dinner. Maher’s supreme confidence in his truth-telling skill completely discounted Rogin’s suggestion.
I tend toward the second option. I think it is clear that Trump is a clever psychopath with excellent acting skills who recognized that his popularity amongst independents was falling. Trump knows that his 30% base is rock solid. They think he is a cross between Jesus and a wrestling champion. However, the 19% of old-fashioned Republicans and Independents is problematic since their trust is conditional. So, a smart psychopath seeks to shore up any loose ends with a propaganda campaign to portray himself as an approachable, sane person who plays a crazy person to vanquish the nation’s foes like liberals, LGBTQs, and European Socialists.
I regularly watch Maher’s show and like much of what Maher says. Like Maher, I try to be independent, and as my “About” page says, I believe in staying in the middle of the world’s current. However, I think Bill Maher became the perfect patsy for a genius psychopath.
Trump is a golfer that Loves to gamble. And playing a sucker is part of his game. Lose a hole or two, raise the bet and then break out his real skillset. Flaunt it on the 18 th with a Birdie…”Best I have played in years!”
You made two good points. He could be a Jekyll/Hyde type person who is extremely persuasive (evidently) to some easily persuaded (and probably low educated or persons with an affinity for cults, BTW I consider church members to be cultists) to which he seems to be a genius or at least highly credible. On the other hand, he can perpetrate some of the stupidest actions most of us have ever seen, and yet the “Orange Jesus” is revered by many even though he is directly harming some of his most ardent followers. He is undoubtedly a psychopath, criminal, hateful, self-indulgent jerk. One thing that has been very consistent throughout his life is that all his doctors have been corrupted to the point that they totally produce false medical information about him, or he just completely revises the results of his physicals. The 1960s saw a doctor who leased a small office from his father help Trump get medical deferments five times for bone spurs on his feet. Since then, several doctors have sworn that he is incredibly healthy. According to Dr Ronnie Jackson, now the US congressman for the Texas Panhandle after being the White House physician for Trump in his prior administration (known as the “Candy Man” by persons in the Trump White House) Trump should live to be “at least the age of 139″—-he must have done a lot of calculations to come up with that! Now, the results of his current physical report that he is 6″3” and weighs 224 pounds. Does he look like an NFL safety to you? I guess when he looks in the mirror that’s what he sees, a really well conditioned athlete capable of winning a major golf championship ever time he visits one of his clubs, certainly a very unique individual!