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Bill Maher lashes out at Sean Penn: 'Seriously, you met with Castro and Hugo Chavez but not the president of the United States?'

The actor claimed he saw “good results” from his meetings with South American dictators but said he wouldn’t trust anything discussed over dinner with President Trump.

Maher on HBO

Maher on HBOCordon Press.

Carlos Dominguez
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Comedian Bill Maher lashed out at actor and filmmaker Sean Penn on the latest episode of his podcast Club Random, as the two discussed the backlash Maher faced after dining with Donald Trump in April.

Speaking on the subject, the comedian asked Sean Penn, “Do you think—I hope—I did the right thing by having dinner with him?”

The actor responded to Maher that he had seen Maher’s account of dining with the president on his HBO show Real Time and wished his portrayal had been “less successful” for Trump.

Penn suggested to Maher that he may have gone too far by offering a warm account of the evening, instead of simply saying, “He treated me well, that’s all.”

During the conversation, Penn stood by his position that he would not sit down to dinner with Trump, adding, “The only reason I wouldn’t accept an invitation is... it’s a long flight.”

In disbelief, Maher responded, “Seriously? You met with Castro and Hugo Chávez but not the president of the United States?”

"I saw good results come out of some of those meetings," Penn said, referring to his encounters with South American dictators. "But I just, personally wouldn’t trust anything that was said in the room, including his personality," he added, speaking about a potential meeting with Trump.

Sean Penn, a salon socialist

In 2007, Sean Penn met with former Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez in Caracas. During the visit, the actor expressed interest in understanding the country’s political and social realities.

Chávez described Penn as an American “in search of the truth.”


Penn returned to Venezuela in 2008 and accompanied Chávez on an inspection of a gas pipeline under construction in the eastern part of the country, reaffirming his support for the socialist project of the former Venezuelan president.

In 2008, Penn conducted an interview with Raúl Castro that was published in The Nation, in which he highlighted positive aspects of the Cuban dictatorship.
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