Bill Maher to Karoline Leavitt: ‘I don’t give a s—’, ‘I like the ballroom’

Bill Maher, a left leaning comedian and talk show host, told former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt he actually likes President Trump’s proposed ballroom in the East Wing, despite frequent criticism from Democrats.

“I don’t give a s— about any of this. I like the ballroom. America does need a ballroom,” Maher told Leavitt in a Friday interview on his talk show.

“It’s the United States of America,” he added. “We’re having dinner in the grass. It’s stupid.”

The pair had been discussing the report that Trump floated the idea of demolishing the press briefing room and restoring it to its prior form: a swimming pool. The president denied the report Saturday but said he could move the press briefing room “to a less obnoxious location.”

Leavitt said she did not know if Trump would actually implement the idea but that he had “been flirting with it.”

“It was a swimming pool at one time. In fact, if you go in the stairs underneath where the briefing room is, you can actually see the tile from where the pool used to be,” Leavitt said. “He just maybe wants to restore it to all of its glory. I don’t know if he’ll do it, but he’s been flirting with it.”

The 29-year-old former press secretary joined Maher’s show “Real Time” after stepping down from the role in August to spend more time with her family and young children. She has since announced plans to work for the Trump-affiliated MAGA Inc. super PAC and as a contributor on Fox News.

Maher recently attended a dinner at the White House alongside artist Kid Rock and sports commentator Stephen A. Smith, which he said during Friday’s show was an opportunity to press Trump on issues that mattered to him.

The comedian had a blunt message for those who criticized his decision to dine with Trump.

“Yeah, I did it again, b—!” Maher said. “I go and say face-to-face to the man the things you write in articles he’ll never read, but okay. You know what? F— you. I like these dinners.”

Maher told Leavitt he raised concerns about the president’s recent actions toward Ukraine at the dinner.

“The first thing I raised with the president was Starlink, and taking that down. And honestly, I think what he’s doing with Russia is unconscionable,” Maher said.

But Maher praised the president for listening to his concerns, saying, “He looks you in the eye. He never interrupts.”

“Something that I find admirable about him is he’ll look around the room and he’ll ask the opinions of everyone in it, whether it’s a low-level staffer or his chief of staff,” Leavitt replied. “He genuinely wants to know how people feel, what they think.”

Another issue Maher raised with Leavitt is how Trump may behave in the final two years of his term should Republicans perform poorly in the midterms.

Leavitt said she is not worried, telling Maher the president is always willing to work with Democrats — pointing to Trump’s cooperation with Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser.

“He has said — you’ve heard him say this — ‘I will work with Democrats to do what’s best,’” Leavitt said. “Look at what he’s done in DC with Mayor Bowser … he is always the type of guy who is willing to do that.