Bill Maher Compares His Upcoming White House Dinner with Trump to Nixon Going To China: ‘You Gotta Try, Man’

Bill Maher compared his upcoming White House dinner with President Donald Trump to Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972, though the comedian admitted he does not have illusions about “healing” the United States.

Maher spoke with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo on The Chris Cuomo Project podcast and explained his recently-announced dinner with the president. Maher will be visiting the White House soon to break bread with Trump after musician Kid Rock set the pair up.

“It was presented as… this is a beginning to heal America. Now, I don’t have some sort of complex where I think I can heal America, I can’t. Okay, let’s get that clear. I’m not going to be healing America. But if two guys who’ve been at each other for so long — I mean, it’s kind of a Nixon to China thing. There was nobody who was harder on Trump,” Maher told Cuomo.

Nixon made history when he became the first US president to visit China in 1972. The visit was part of a larger effort to establish economic relations with the nation.

Cuomo praised Maher for accepting the dinner.

“It will probably accomplish very little, but you gotta try, man, you gotta try,” Maher said.

“I love it,” Cuomo responded.

Kid Rock told Glenn Beck earlier this month that he set up the Maher-Trump meeting and his hope is it sends a message of unity to a divided nation.

“Let’s start at the top with two very public figures, him, television comedian, you, president of the free world, and we can just break bread, have some laughs, take a picture and be like, hey, you know, we don’t agree on everything, but we got along. Does that start to send a message to people or do they just think I’m an idiot?” he said.

Check out the Maher-Cuomo exchange below:

CHRIS CUOMO: You’re gonna meet with the president.

BILL MAHER: I am?

CUOMO: So Kid Rock makes it happen. What do you think has been the response so far? What do think it will be and why are you doing it? Which I’m totally for by the way, and I love it.

MAHER: I get it. Well, I’m doing it because first of all, it was presented as —

CUOMO: A dare? [laughs]

MAHER: Not a dare. No, just like, maybe this is a beginning to heal America. Now, I don’t have some sort of complex where I think I can heal America, I can’t. Okay, let’s get that clear. I’m not going to be healing America. But if two guys who’ve been at each other for so long — I mean, it’s kind of a Nixon to China thing. I have the credentials. There was nobody who was harder on Trump or more prescient about the fact that he wasn’t going to leave office voluntarily than I was. I feel like I have the credentials. But they also respect me because I’m honest about the woke train to crazy town. And I don’t shrink from that. And I’ve also lost a lot of fans for that. The woke people have left the building and I’m willing to make that sacrifice. but it does give you a certain credibility. So I just think to meet somebody, first of all, it’s an honor to be invited to the White House.

CUOMO: Yes, it is.

MAHER: And I’ve already had a couple of people who I said to them, you know, I’m just gonna take it as a backhanded compliment that you glide right past the idea that little Bill Maher from River Vale, New Jersey, just a humble kid from the suburbs was invited for a private dinner at the White House. You glide right past that to how dare you talk to him and that you’re not impressed by it at all. I’m impressed by it a lot. I’m impressed the fuck out of it. I get to go to the White house and, yes, that is the structure of this dinner is just let’s talk. Let’s talk to each other face to face. Let’s not stop shouting from 3,000 miles away, you know? So if they expect me to be leaving in a MAGA hat, they’re gonna be very disappointed, but I know they don’t. And I think it’s gonna be, you know, look, it probably will accomplish very little, but you gotta try, man. You gotta try.

CUOMO: I love it.

Watch above via The Chris Cuomo Project.