President Donald Trump hosted a dinner Thursday night that brought together singer Kid Rock, HBO host Bill Maher and ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith.
Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, discussed the gathering Friday morning on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” calling it “epic.” He said the four men found common ground on at least one issue: “Socialism and communism have no place to have a foothold in our government.”
It is not clear what prompted Trump to bring this particular group together. Rock said he and Maher had joined Trump for a separate dinner recently that also included UFC president Dana White. This time, Smith appears to have represented the sports world at the table.
The group reflected some political variety. Kid Rock is a longtime Trump supporter. Maher is a liberal commentator who has grown increasingly critical of both major parties and the progressive left in recent years. Smith has described himself as a political moderate.
Smith said he plans to discuss the dinner Friday night on his podcast.
The dinner comes after Maher previously had dinner with Trump last year, despite having been one of the president’s more consistent critics among political commentators. Trump has continued to periodically host people who publicly disagree with him.
