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Trump praises Thursday White House dinner with Bill Maher, Kid Rock and Stephen A. Smith

Trump said a Thursday-night White House dinner with Bill Maher, Kid Rock and Stephen A. Smith was "great" and that he likes Maher. Maher had dined there last year, then been criticised by Trump in February.

3 outlets · 0L · 1C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: Deadline
Image: Fox News
Image: New York Post

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The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2President Donald Trump hosted a dinner at the White House on Thursday night, 15 October, with HBO host Bill Maher, ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith and the singer Kid Rock. Centre · 1Trump told reporters on Friday that it was "a great dinner" and "a very informative dinner", said Smith "is great", and said of Maher: "He likes me a lot more than people understand, and I actually like him." Centre · 1He said the group "talked about everything", that it lasted a long time, and that they toured the ballroom, which is under construction; he added that "they have to sort of put on a certain facade for their people" but "like Trump".

Right · 1Kid Rock (Robert Ritchie) mentioned the dinner on Fox & Friends on Friday morning, calling it "epic" and saying the four agreed that "Socialism and communism have no place to have a foothold in our government." Right · 1Fox News said it was not clear why Trump assembled that group, noting that Kid Rock and Maher had recently joined Trump for a separate meal that included UFC president Dana White. It also said Smith would address the dinner on his podcast on Friday night. Centre · 1Maher first dined with Trump at the White House last year, an event Kid Rock arranged. In February, Trump wrote on Truth Social that it was "a total waste of time for me to have this jerk at the White House."

Centre · 1In March, after The Atlantic reported that the Kennedy Center would award Maher its Mark Twain Prize, then press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he would not get it; Maher was announced as recipient the next week, and Trump skipped the June ceremony though some administration members attended.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Straight report built around Trump's remarks, with background on his earlier fallout with Maher.
Emphasis
Trump's quotes and the reversal from his February attack on Maher, plus the Mark Twain Prize dispute.
Leaves out or plays down
Kid Rock's 'epic' comment and the separate dinner with Dana White.
For example
“Donald Trump is once again praising Bill Maher following a dinner he had at the White House” — Deadline

Right2 outlets

Framing
Light, wry commentary piece on the unusual guest list, from Fox's OutKick vertical.
Emphasis
Kid Rock's Fox & Friends account, the guests' politics, a prediction of how Smith will describe it, and Trump sitting down with people who disagree with him.
Leaves out or plays down
Trump's own remarks about the dinner and his February criticism of Maher.
Charged language
“wait for it”“epic”
For example
“Trump remains one of the few major politicians in 2026 who regularly sits down with people who openly disagree with him.” — Fox News

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