‘I Respect the Move’: Bill Maher Spills on Trump Trying to Block His Kennedy Center Award

Bill Maher said that he admires President Donald Trump for taking their rivalry so seriously that he tried to block Maher from receiving the Mark Twain prize from the Kennedy Center.

The veteran comic — in a bit of a tongue-in-cheek manner — addressed Trump’s attempt to thwart the award during the Monday episode of his podcast. He quipped it was nice to be getting honored, “unless Trump f*cks it up again.”

Guest Woody Harrelson then joked it was “nice” that Maher’s “buddy” Trump was allowing him into the building.

“I love it that they tried to block it,” Maher told him, more seriously. “And of course, I think he absolutely still could if he wanted to. So, I’m just thankful.”

He continued, “I love that, you know, he takes the game seriously. Like no, ‘I’m going to block this guy.’ I respect the move.”

Maher added that despite the president’s best efforts, he knows he’ll be getting his prize on June 28th. “It’s going to happen,” he said.

It was announced in March the Real Time host would receive the 27th Mark Twain prize for American Humor; past honorees include Eddie Murphy, Conan O’Brien, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Trump’s White House called it “FAKE NEWS” at first, and Maher said the administration tried to block him from getting the award during an episode of Real Time. But the June ceremony appears to be all squared away at the moment, with Maher featured on the Trump-Kennedy Center website.

Maher and the president have a famously rocky relationship. The comic has a framed page with dozens of insults Trump has hurled at him over the years hanging in his podcast studio. But their relationship appeared to be improving last year, when Maher had dinner with Trump and Dana White at the White House — where the president signed the list of insults for Maher.

Things have soured since then, with Trump calling him a “highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT” last month.

Watch above via YouTube.

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