Bill Maher says Donald Trump ‘hates China but loves Xi,’ calls summit a ‘lovefest’

Bill Maher has addressed President Donald Trump’s state visit to China, which he called an "old-fashioned lovefest."

Maher, who like many late-night show hosts, has been a strong critic of Trump, dedicated his monologue on Friday night’s edition of his HBO show to Trump’s visit to China and his meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Commenting on the meeting, which was covered by media across the world, he said,''But mostly, it was an old-fashioned lovefest between the two strongmen, with Trump in particular showering Xi with one strange platitude after another.''

“Trump: he hates China, but he loves Xi,” said Maher. “To say this was a lovefest between these two guys was an understatement. As he left, [Trump] thanked Xi profusely for his hospitality. And Xi thanked Trump for making China way more popular around the world.”

The visit comes as Trump has been speaking harshly and is in a bitter trade war with the country for the last year. However, Maher said he believes Trump, who loves pageantry, was so soft and lovey-dovey toward the leader because Xi rolled out the red carpet for his welcome.

Also Read: 'Tremendous success': Trump after returning from China; says, 'It was a historic moment'

“You know what? China knows what Trump likes,” offered Maher. “What does he like? He likes the pomp and the parades, and he likes the red carpet, and there were thousands of children waving American flags. And Xi, he’s clever, you know? He knows. He bargained like someone who knows he holds the cards now ever since Trump backed down on their big trade war.”

“In fact, as a subtle dig, they served orange chicken,” they said.

“Trump says with Xi, there’s no games with him. It’s getting a little weird, you know?” cracked Maher.

“At one point, Xi told his translator, ''Tell Trump, don’t catch feelings.’”

However, Meher's comment comes when it has been made clear that President Trump and the White House are not up for any criticism over the most talked about his China visit. Recently, Trump’s Communications Director Steven Cheung slammed The Telegraph over an article titled “How Trump lost control of the ‘best summit ever.’”

“Probably one of the biggest fake news stories ever written during the Trump Era. The Telegraph has completely lost the plot,” Cheung said.