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CNN commentator Scott Jennings criticized the backlash against comedian Bill Maher for meeting with President Donald Trump, calling the response from the left “an attempt to intimidate people” and prevent any future dialogue between liberals and conservatives.
As reported by The Gateway Pundit, Jennings made the remarks during a recent CNN segment while discussing the outrage Maher faced after visiting the White House earlier this month.
Xxx Bill Maher Mug
Though Maher made it clear he was not joining the MAGA movement, critics on the left still reacted with hostility, accusing him of legitimizing Trump.
One of the harshest responses came from actor and comedian Larry David, who wrote an op-ed in The New York Times that compared Maher’s dinner with Trump to dining with Adolf Hitler.
The piece condemned both Maher and Trump’s supporters and has been widely circulated among Maher’s detractors.
Jennings offered his perspective on the controversy, pointing out that the criticism wasn’t merely about Maher’s specific meeting but about discouraging any similar future interactions.
“The message of this is not to — because Bill Maher, first of all, I totally agree, he’s totally in the right to do it,” Jennings said. “I loved his monologue, even though I disagree with almost everything he believes politically. He was right to do this and he was right to speak out about it.”
Jennings continued:
“But this isn’t about that dinner. It’s about the next one. Because this is the modern Left. It’s an attempt always to intimidate people into not ever doing it again. It’s to silence yourselves, or we’ll do it for you.”
According to Jennings, the goal is to send a clear signal to public figures on the left: avoid engaging with President Trump or his supporters, or face social and professional consequences.
“That’s the purpose of this op-ed, so that the next comedian, or the next person on the American left chooses not to speak to Donald Trump,” he added. “This is all an effort to get people not to do what you just said, which is to talk to each other and our political leaders.”
The incident highlights growing concerns over ideological gatekeeping and the left’s increasing intolerance toward dissent or dialogue with political opponents.
Maher, who has frequently clashed with conservatives, now finds himself under fire from the very audience that once applauded him.
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