A weekend television segment praising Bill Maher’s tough questioning of California Gov. Gavin Newsom triggered a blistering attack from President Trump on Saturday, with the commander-in-chief demanding Fox News ban the HBO comedian from its airwaves.
The outburst came approximately 30 minutes after “The Big Weekend Show” aired May 2, 2026, with the 79-year-old president apparently watching live as the conservative network’s personalities complimented Maher for his Friday night grilling of Newsom on “Real Time.” Trump unleashed a sprawling Truth Social tirade that evening, furious that Fox had given his political opponents any praise whatsoever.
“Fox should stop putting this person on. He’s not representing us. You look weak, stupid, and ineffective, and I hate seeing that. DON’T USE BILL MAHER ANY LONGER AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF YOU!” Trump wrote, adding a parting shot at another frequent target: “Bill Maher is a MORON, though slightly more talented than Jimmy Kimmel.”
The Segment That Set Him Off
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News’ senior medical analyst, and co-host Tomi Lahren walked viewers through Maher’s confrontation with Newsom over California’s economic problems. A chyron displaying “The Truth Hurts” accompanied footage of Maher pressing the governor on gas prices, rents, and the struggling high-speed rail initiative.
“I mean the train. Gavin, you got to get rid of the train. I say this as a friend, you got to let that train go,” Maher told Newsom — pointing to a project that forfeited approximately $4 billion in federal grants in July 2025 when the Trump administration withdrew funding. Lahren called the project a “boondoggle” and said she “loved” the way Maher “called him out.”
The rail project’s estimated cost has now swelled to $231 billion, with the first operational segment potentially not opening until 2032. While construction in the Central Valley is partially underway — more than 50 structures completed and roughly 70 miles of rail bed installed — the complete Los Angeles-to-San Francisco route remains a distant prospect.
A Familiar White House Grievance
Trump revisited his widely discussed early 2025 White House dinner with Maher, portraying the comedian — who was recently named the next Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recipient — as anxious and unprepared during the Oval Office visit. He described Maher as “nervous, scared,” claiming the comedian’s opening words were a request for a drink, a moment Trump labeled “endearing but, at the same time, absolutely pathetic.”
The president has repeatedly expressed frustration when conservatives embrace Maher. He previously instructed Republicans to stop pointing to the HBO host as proof that “the Left is coming over our way.” On Valentine’s Day this year, he posted another scorching attack, labeling Maher a “jerk,” a “highly overrated LIGHTWEIGHT” and someone suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” This latest broadside continued that pattern.
Newsom’s “Mirror” Defense
During the actual HBO interview, Maher confronted the 58-year-old governor about adopting Trump-style tactics online. The comedian noted the paradox that Newsom — who is suing Fox News for $787 million — seems to be the Democrat most clearly copying Trump’s approach to trolling and lawsuits among potential 2028 contenders.
“I’m trying to put a mirror up to Donald Trump,” the governor said. Newsom attacked the president for refusing to “unite this country in any way, shape, or form” and characterized the current moment as “the sewer we’re now living in because of Donald Trump.”
Maher wouldn’t let Newsom dodge accountability for California’s problems, though. After the governor responded with an enthusiastic “good!” to criticism of his statistics, Maher shot back: “Are they gonna say ‘good’ about gas prices? Are they gonna say ‘good’ about how high the rents are?” Lahren subsequently highlighted that moment as evidence of a “smug” Newsom being challenged.
Trump’s California Indictment
The bulk of Trump’s marathon Truth Social posts functioned as an attack on Newsom — whom he referred to as “Newscum.” The president insisted the governor had dominated Maher because the 70-year-old comedian was “defenseless, and totally deficient,” unable to challenge California’s record effectively.
Trump rattled off state failures: homelessness plaguing Los Angeles and San Francisco, a rail project he described as “Billions of Dollars over budget,” and approximately 25,000 homes lost to fire this year. The president took credit for the rebuilding process, declaring, “If it weren’t for our Superstar EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, and me, they wouldn’t have any homes being built right now!”
He further contended that California is losing population, asserting that “for the first time in History, more people are leaving than coming.”
What started as a Saturday evening panel on a network that has served as Trump’s most dependable platform for a decade ended with the president publicly attacking that same cable channel — all because two Fox hosts briefly agreed with a comedian Trump despises.
