NEWSBill Maher Apologizes to Donald Trump on 'Real Time' After Private Text Fact-Check
Bill Maher apologized to Donald Trump after correcting his claim about the president’s endorsements.
Sept. 5 2026, Published 12:38 p.m. ET
Bill Maher had to correct himself on Real Time, and the fact-check came from President Donald Trump.
The HBO host, 70, told viewers on Aug. 28 that Trump had personally contacted him after Maher claimed on a previous episode that the president’s endorsements were no longer winning Republican primaries.
“I said last week, I’m quoting myself, ‘Trump used to win all his endorsements. Now he’s winning almost none of them. None of them,’” Maher said.
“I heard from this one viewer who was very upset about this. Contacted me directly,” he continued.
Bill Maher corrected a previous claim about Donald Trump’s endorsement record during the August 28 episode of ‘Real Time.’
A Text From Donald Trump
Bill Maher revealed that Donald Trump had personally contacted him to dispute his statement about the president’s endorsement losses.
Maher then acknowledged the “viewer” was Trump, 80, and said the two have a direct line of communication.
“I’m glad we do,” Maher said.
“I’d rather have communication,” he added.
According to Maher, Trump sent him information disputing the claim, and Maher promised to correct the record if the numbers did not back up what he had said.
“He’s right. I did overstate it. That wasn’t true. Overstated,” Maher said.
“There, was that so hard, to not be a d--- about everything?”
The Numbers Behind the Apology
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Bill Maher said Donald Trump had endorsed 260 candidates during the cycle, with only nine losing, giving Trump a 97 percent success rate.
Maher said only nine of the 260 candidates Trump endorsed this cycle had lost, giving him a 97 percent success rate.
Maher did not fully abandon his larger point. He argued that Trump’s endorsement influence may still be trending downward in higher-profile contests.
“My point is that the trend looks like it is going downward on that, because he did lose five governorships,” Maher said.
He also cited CNN reporting that Republican voters rejected 10 Trump-endorsed candidates for statewide office this primary season, matching the number who lost in the 2018, 2020 and 2024 primaries combined.
Donald Trump Targets Another Host
Bill Maher maintained that Donald Trump’s endorsement influence could still be declining in higher-profile contests despite the correction.
The Maher correction came as Trump was also attacking Meet the Press anchor Kristen Welker for describing his endorsement results as “mixed.”
On Truth Social, Trump called that characterization a “purposeful inaccuracy” and demanded that the Federal Communications Commission target Welker for “rebuke or punishment.”
NBC defended Welker, calling her “one of the best in the business.”
Maher’s on-air apology followed his much-discussed March 2025 White House dinner with Trump, after which he described the president as “gracious and measured.” The two have since traded praise, criticism and public jabs.
“I promised,” Maher said, “if this is not true what I said, I will say it on the air.”
