Nicolai Haugsted
Trump devotes a staggering 1,323 words to criticizing a comedian who recently visited the White House.
Donald Trump has never been particularly shy about sharing his opinions on social media. The American president regularly uses Truth Social to criticize political opponents, challenge unfavorable coverage and offer his personal assessment of practically anyone who attracts his attention.
But his latest contribution has apparently established a record of its own.
With the midterm elections approaching and major international issues demanding attention, Trump devoted an extraordinary amount of time to a disagreement that had little to do with government policy.
The subject was comedian and television host Bill Maher, who had recently enjoyed a private dinner with the president at the White House.
Whatever goodwill emerged from that encounter appears to have disappeared following Maher’s latest television appearance.
And Trump had rather a lot to say about it.
Trump delivers his longest social media post ever
According to an analysis by CNN and data collected by the political tracking service Factbase, Trump published the longest social media post of his career on Sunday evening.
The president’s message contained a remarkable 1,323 words, comfortably surpassing his previous record.
Rather than discussing the upcoming elections or the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Trump dedicated most of his lengthy statement to attacking Maher.
He opened by describing the comedian as a “COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSER” before proceeding to criticize his television program, his associates and his behavior following their recent meeting.
The message eventually took on the tone of a very public breakup.
“Bill: Don’t call anymore,” Trump wrote.
The president also warned that he intended to discourage Republicans from giving Maher attention.
“I’m going to have the Republicans not cover you anymore,” he declared.
Precisely what that meant was unclear.
Trump could have been referring to Republican politicians appearing on Maher’s HBO program, or to conservative media outlets that frequently broadcast clips from the comedian’s political commentary.
Either way, the president appeared determined to make his dissatisfaction known.
A White House dinner apparently failed to build lasting friendship
The dispute was particularly striking because Trump and Maher had recently appeared to be getting along rather well.
On October 15, Maher attended a dinner at the White House alongside ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith and musician Kid Rock.
The president subsequently described the occasion as a “great dinner” and suggested that the two men had developed a better relationship than many observers might expect.
Trump even claimed that Maher “likes me a lot more than people understand, and I actually like him.”
The apparent reconciliation was short-lived.
During Friday’s edition of HBO’s Real Time, Maher returned to his familiar role of criticizing the president and discussing the political controversies surrounding his administration.
The program featured former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
Trump apparently watched the episode and was far from impressed.
His subsequent social media message suggested that whatever progress had been made over dinner had been undone by the comedian’s return to television.
“You’re a hopeless guy,” Trump wrote.
The president disputes how long their dinner lasted
Among the many grievances contained in Trump’s post was a disagreement over the length of the White House gathering.
Stephen A. Smith had previously described spending more than four hours at the presidential residence, saying on his podcast that Trump had been willing to answer questions throughout the evening.
“We were there for over four hours in the White House, and Donald Trump did not run from any questions,” Smith said.
Maher also referred to the four-hour estimate during his television program.
Trump, however, disputed that account.
“Overall, I thought it was a good meeting. It didn’t last four hours, it lasted two hours, maybe less, and everybody was happy. We have the timestamps. I learned nothing, and felt it was a waste of time,” he wrote.
The president also revisited an earlier dinner with Maher in March 2025.
According to Trump, the comedian initially treated him more favorably afterward before eventually returning to his usual criticism.
Trump further alleged that Maher’s business associate Chuck LaBella had worked to arrange the second meeting by emphasizing the comedian’s admiration for the president.
Those claims were presented as Trump’s account of the relationship.
Trump questions whether Maher’s audience is really laughing
The president’s frustration extended beyond Maher’s political commentary.
At one point, Trump questioned the laughter heard during the comedian’s television program, suggesting that the reaction might not be entirely genuine.
He claimed to have asked Maher about a supposed “Laughter Machine,” apparently referring to the possibility of artificial audience laughter.
“Bill Maher lied, but he lies about everything, and I believe he lied to me when I asked him, with all the applause and laughter he gets after almost everything he says, about thing that aren’t funny or even any good, what Laughter Machine does he use? People can’t think he’s funny,” Trump wrote.
The allegation was not supported by evidence.
Maher’s program features a visible studio audience, whose laughter and applause can be heard during broadcasts.
Still, the president appeared unconvinced that viewers could genuinely find the comedian entertaining.
Trump makes misleading claims about Republican support
The lengthy attack also included a disagreement over Trump’s approval ratings.
Maher had criticized the president’s political standing, prompting Trump to insist that his support among Republican voters remained exceptionally strong.
“I have High Ratings and, more importantly, he said that I’m losing the support and approval of the Republican Party when, in fact, CNN just came out with a Poll showing that I’m at 98 and 99% support within the Republican Party, an All Time Record High,” Trump claimed.
However, the figures did not accurately reflect CNN’s latest polling.
According to a CNN survey released the previous week, Trump’s approval rating among Republican respondents stood at 74 percent, representing a new numerical low in that poll.
The president’s references to approval figures of 98 and 99 percent appeared to concern a different survey measuring support among self-identified MAGA Republicans.
That group represents a particularly loyal segment of Trump’s political base, rather than the Republican electorate as a whole.
By treating those figures as interchangeable, Trump presented a considerably more favorable picture of his standing within the party than CNN’s broader polling supported.
Trump also reveals plans that could affect White House reporters
Buried among the personal attacks was a potentially significant development involving the journalists who cover the presidency.
Trump confirmed that he was considering relocating reporters from their longstanding workspace inside the White House.
“I am thinking about moving the Press, and putting them in a different location, but I will use that location for very badly needed space,” he wrote.
The White House press corps has used dedicated facilities within the presidential complex for decades.
Moving journalists elsewhere could therefore raise questions about their working conditions and access to the administration.
Trump did not provide a timetable for the proposed relocation or explain exactly where reporters might be moved.
The possibility nevertheless stood out as one of the few remarks in his post that concerned a potential administrative decision rather than his personal dispute with Maher.
The record-breaking rant ends with a final goodbye
Factbase, which tracks Trump’s public statements and social media activity, described the message as his longest post across approximately 97,455 social media posts dating back to 2011.
His previous record had been a 723-word message published in May, which moved between complaints about the Kennedy Center, judicial controversies and major policy disputes.
The latest post nearly doubled that length.
Trump also made clear that he had no intention of continuing to watch Maher’s program.
“I never watched your show much, but I will never watch it again, because it is nothing more than FAKE NEWS,” he wrote.
For a president who had recently spoken warmly about the comedian, the change in tone was considerable.
The lengthy statement concluded with Trump’s familiar sign-off.
“Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
