White House Insists It Was Right ‘At the Time’ After Being Wrong About Maher Prize

President Donald Trump’s White House insisted it was right “at the time” on Thursday after being found to be wrong about the news that late-night host Bill Maher would receive an award at the Kennedy Center.

While the White House repeatedly denied a report last week that Maher – a prominent critic of Trump – would be receiving the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center this year, the news was confirmed in another report on Thursday.

Reacting to the news in a statement, a White House official insisted, “This was false reporting at the time of the Atlantic’s reporting, but the situation changed after further conversations took place between the Trump-Kennedy Center and event organizers over the past week.”

Politico Washington reporter Daniel Lippman confirmed in a report on Thursday that Maher would “receive the prize in June in a show broadcast by Netflix in one of the Kennedy Center’s last public events before it shuts down for a two-year renovation.”

Just last week, White House director of communications Steven Cheung had called the claim “Literally FAKE NEWS,” while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted, “This is fake news. Bill Maher will NOT be getting this award.”

President Trump lashed out at Maher in a Truth Social rant last month, complaining that the comedian and late-night host had not been sufficiently supportive of his administration since the two men dined together at the White House last year.

“Sometimes in life you waste time! T.V. Host Bill Maher asked to have dinner with me through one of his friends, also a friend of mine, and I agreed,” wrote Trump. “He was extremely nervous, had ZERO confidence in himself and, to soothe his nerves, immediately, within seconds, asked for a ‘Vodka Tonic.'”

The president went on to complain, “It was a total waste of time for me to have this jerk at the White House,” concluding, “Bill Maher is a highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT, and Republicans should stop using him to show how the Left is coming over our way – Our Base, the Greatest of All Time, laughs at your weakness when you do it!”

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