Comedian Patton Oswalt has taken aim at fellow comic and HBO host Bill Maher, arguing that any attempt to placate President Donald Trump is doomed to fail because it only invites contempt.
Oswalts critique came during an appearance on Dean Obeidallahs SiriusXM program, where the two discussed how entertainers and public figures choose to engage with the President, as reported by Mediaite. Maher, a longtime Trump critic who once provoked a $5 million lawsuit over a satirical Birther-themed bet, has also boasted of a supposed Nixon goes to China moment when he accepted a White House dinner invitation. While Maher continues to attack the President on policy and personality, he has also made a point of publicly cataloging areas where he agrees with him, a posture that often earns him praise from the left-leaning media as open-minded.
Obeidallah contrasted Mahers outreach with the more confrontational approach of late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert, prompting Oswalt to explain why he believes appeasement is a losing strategy. Its also interesting that the people who try to suck up to Trump or try to make some amends at some point, it doesnt work out, Obeidallah said, noting Maher goes to have dinner with him and at first is saying sort of nice things about Trump. And then Trump just turns on him anyway. Like you cant win with him. I dont know what people dont get that lesson.
Oswalt agreed, insisting that Mahers attempt at conciliation backfired precisely because it signaled weakness. Exactly, the reason that Trump is turning on Bill Maher is because Bill tried to, Im sure with good intentions, tried to placate him and you cant do that with him, Oswalt argued, framing the President as someone who responds only to defiance. He went on to claim that by defying Trump, this is going to sound kind of weird, Colbert and Kimmel, yeah, Trump hates them but he hates them because they dont love him. He wants them to love him.
Oswalt then ventured into armchair psychology, asserting that any affection for the President would instantly erode his respect. And then the minute they love him, he has zero respect for them because deep down he hates himself, he said, before advising critics to remain uncompromising: You just have to stick with your guns and just go, yeah, this guy sucks. You know, in the long run, it will pay out. From a conservative vantage point, Oswalts comments reflect a familiar pattern in liberal commentarypathologizing Trump and his supporters rather than engaging their arguments, even as he concedes that those who do business with Trump are driven by basic greed and warns, Because anyone that does business with him, you get destroyed!
Login