Kid Rock got laughs from Bill Maher’s audience after describing how a golf outing with President Donald Trump led to an unexpected phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron.
On Friday’s episode of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” the musician said Trump was taking calls while they played golf. At one point, Macron called, and Trump handed the phone to Rock.
“He’s working while you’re golfing,” Rock said of Trump. He added that the president keeps a demanding schedule and may sleep only four or five hours a night.
Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, recalled Trump introducing him to Macron as “the great Kid Rock,” then asking him to say hello. Rock said he greeted the French president and joked that he was from “the Paris of the Midwest: Detroit.”
Trump then got into the golf cart, leaving Rock with Macron on the phone. Maher laughed and pointed out that Trump had left the French president talking to Kid Rock. Rock said he asked Macron, “So what else you been up to?”
Maher, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and journalist Jim VandeHei all laughed at the story.
The anecdote came during a discussion that also touched on Trump’s recent criticism of Maher in a lengthy Truth Social post, following the comedian’s second dinner at the White House. Rock and ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith attended that dinner as well.
Maher compared dining with Trump to dating Taylor Swift, saying it could be enjoyable at the time but lead to harsh criticism later.
Democratic strategist Kaivon Shroff criticized Maher’s reaction to Rock’s story. Shroff argued that Maher would have condemned the same behavior if it involved former President Barack Obama, but treated it as funny because Trump was involved.
Shroff described Maher’s response as a performance and said the comedian was presenting Trump as charming in a way he would not accept from a Democratic president. He also argued that Maher’s frequent criticism of Democrats, along with his friendly exchanges with Trump and Kid Rock, made him seem more like a Republican.
