Kid Rock sat down at the White House alongside President Donald Trump, Bill Maher, and Stephen A. Smith for dinner.
He shared details of the dinner on “Fox & Friends” this past Friday, noting that the four of them agreed that socialism and communism should not have a place in government. “It was epic,” Kid Rock said, emphasizing the mix of Democrat and Republican perspectives. “Two Democrats, two Republicans sit down, break bread, have laughs, talk about, you know, have tough conversations on a lot of the issues.”
In his recounting, he identified himself and Trump as the Republicans, while placing Maher and Smith as the Democrats. (RELATED: Don’t Count Out A Republican Overperformance In November)
During the conversation, Maher advocated for bringing home Afghan interpreters who previously assisted American forces, and Smith highlighted issues like unemployment among black women and funding for historically black colleges.
Kid Rock noted that Trump allocated $174 million to those institutions in 2016. Additionally, the FUTURE Act, signed by Trump in 2019, secured $255 million annually for historically black colleges and other minority-serving institutions, according to the Trump White House archive.
Kid Rock details ‘epic’ dinner with Trump, Stephen A. Smith and Bill Maher https://t.co/16xN4pLqFx https://t.co/3r6kmj2Jn6
— New York Post (@nypost) October 17, 2026
According to Kid Rock, Smith suggested that Trump’s reduction of diversity initiatives negatively impacted corporate donations to these schools. Kid Rock defended the administration, arguing that companies ought to maintain their financial support for HBCUs.
The musician also took aim at Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, asserting, “This guy is screaming socialism.” El-Sayed, who won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary in August, is set to compete against Republican Mike Rogers in November. He has disputed the socialist label, branding himself a capitalist instead.
Kid Rock had previously arranged a dinner between Maher and Trump in 2025, and another gathering is scheduled, as Maher mentioned on his “Club Random” podcast. “I’m having dinner with him again next week,” Maher said.
In a separate appearance on “Outnumbered,” Kid Rock promoted his new album, “Halfway 2 Jesus.” He shared that Lil Wayne joined the track “7 Sins” last minute after Eminem opted for a different song. The album also features country artists Gary LeVox and Jimmie Allen on the title track, according to Blabbermouth.
