Watch: Bill Maher warns 'MAGA crowd cannot be trusted to flirt with dictatorship'

"Real Time" host Bill Maher recently drew a lot of criticism from liberals and progressives, including fellow comedian Larry David, for meeting with President Donald Trump in the White House.

Maher commented that despite their political differences, he had a polite conversation with Trump — who, he noted, wasn't ranting and raving when they were talking one-on-one. And Maher's critics accused him of normalizing extremism.

The "Real Time" host maintained, however, that his meeting with Trump wasn't an endorsement of his politics or the far-right MAGA movement — and that he will continue to call Trump out when he says or does dangerous things.

READ MORE: Larry David mocks capitulation to Trump in brutal parody about a 1939 dinner with Hitler

Maher, in fact, offered humorous but scathing criticism of Trump's Republican apologists during his Friday night, April 25 monologue on "Real Time."

When Trump promotes dangerous or overtly authoritarian ideas, Maher warned, mainstream Republicans do the U.S. a huge disservice by dismissing them as just Trump being Trump. Republicans, Maher argued, treat Trump like he's merely a raunchy standup comedian like Andrew Dice Clay — but there's a huge difference between raunchy comedy and trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election or calling for U.S. citizens to be imprisoned in a foreign country.

Maher told viewers, "Oh, that Andrew Dice Trump, always trying out new material, workshopping premises like U.S. citizens can be taken off the streets and taken to overseas torture prisons without due process. When former Sen. Ben Sasse was asked about the idea that Trump wouldn't leave in 2020, his comment was, 'He says crazy stuff'…. And that's the problem with dictator jokes: They don't stay jokes, and flirting with authoritarianism doesn't stay flirting."

The "Real Time" host argued that "the MAGA crowd cannot be trusted to flirt with dictatorship," urging Republicans, "Show me you're just not a MAGA cultist."

READ MORE: 'Chilling': Trump official threatens staff with criminal sanctions for speaking with press

Maher's monologue is receiving a lot of reactions on X, formerly Twitter.

X user Dave Johnson tweeted, "Spot on, Bill. Scary times for sure."

X user Spelk commented, "Bill Maher talks such sense. I just love him. I don't get all his references but I get enough to understand. He's the antidote to the polarisation we see. He's honest: a rarity. Says what others dare not say. He'll criticise the right AND (against the trend) the left. Top bloke!"

Conservative X user Andy Stevens posted, "No, you are right about this flirtation being dangerous. I'll still take this 100 days over the final 100 days of the last admin though. But he does need to stop with the 3rd term bs."

Another conservative on X, Nathan Douglas Ngumi, tweeted, "Well put Sir! It is time for the Right to step up."

Libertarian Theron Bassett commented, "Women choose courtship, men pick wives. Women are conservative with who they date, men are conservative with who they marry. Women are picky when it comes to sex, men are picky when it comes to commitment. To be a wife you have to be selected. We need Fathers to teach this."

READ MORE: 'Such a little baby': Larry David unleashes on 'sociopath' Trump

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