My Dinner with Adolf
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"My Dinner with Adolf" is a 2025 essay by American comedian Larry David that was published in the opinion section of The New York Times. The essay, written in first person, takes place in 1939 and tells the story of a man who has dinner with Adolf Hitler despite being a vocal critic of him. The essay was seen as a repudiation of comedian Bill Maher, a vocal critic of Donald Trump, who similarly had a dinner with President Trump.
Background
[edit]On March 31, 2025, comedian Bill Maher had a dinner with Donald Trump, Dana White, and Kid Rock at the White House.[1] The dinner was planned by Kid Rock, who is an ally of Trump. Maher explained on the March 23, 2025, episode of his podcast, Club Random, that Kid Rock organized the meeting after appearing on Club Random as well as Real Time with Bill Maher earlier in the year.[2]
On the April 11, 2025, episode of Real Time, Maher recounted his experience and praised Trump as "gracious and measured".[3] Maher's dinner with Trump was criticized by León Krauze and Keith Olbermann.[4] In a Washington Post opinion piece, Krauze compared Maher's remarks to similar praise given to authoritarian figures such as Fidel Castro, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong.[5][6]
Synopsis
[edit]In the spring of 1939, the narrator receives an invitation to have dinner with Adolf Hitler at the Old Chancellery. Although he is a vocal critic of Hitler, the narrator accepts the invitation, despite the objections of his own supporters.
Two weeks later, the narrator arrives at the Old Chancellery where he joins Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Göring, Leni Riefenstahl, and Edward, Duke of Windsor. When Hitler enters the room, the narrator is surprised by his friendly demeanor. During dinner, the narrator is impressed by Hitler's sense of humor; the Führer makes a teasing joke at Göring's expense about killing Jews, Romani people, and homosexuals. Throughout the meal, Hitler engages the narrator in mundane personal conversation, for example, asking about his recent breakup and offering advice.
After dinner, Hitler and the narrator acknowledge their political differences but, opt to remain cordial. The narrator gives Hitler a Nazi salute and leaves.
Analysis
[edit]Although the essay never mentions Maher or Trump by name, multiple outlets reported the opinion piece as a satire of Maher's dinner with Trump and his subsequent praise of him.[7][8]
Patrick Healy, deputy opinion editor at The New York Times, confirmed this in a companion piece that was published in the Times. He said that while the paper maintains strict editorial standards for satire — especially regarding Nazi references — David's essay was accepted because it commented on the broader human tendency to misinterpret limited personal interactions as meaningful reflections of character.[9] Healy emphasized that David was not equating Trump with Hitler, but illustrating the danger of mistaking surface-level civility for moral decency.[9]
Reactions
[edit]Representative Jared Huffman shared the essay and opined on Twitter that it was a necessary read for people, including Maher, who think "normalizing and humanizing Trump is a good idea".[10] Scott Jennings critiqued the essay on air on CNN, he characterized it as an effort to intimidate comedians and others on the left from engaging with Trump in the future.[10]
Bill Maher
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The piece nevertheless drew sharp criticism from Maher. In an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored on April 24, 2025, Maher called the essay "insulting to 6 million dead Jews," arguing that invoking Hitler in this context was inappropriate and inflammatory.[11] Maher stated, "The minute you play the 'Hitler' card, you've lost the argument," and defended his meeting with Trump as an honest reporting of his personal impressions without abandoning his political criticisms.[12]
Maher also said, "Nobody has been harder, and more prescient, I must say, about Donald Trump than me. I don't need to be lectured on who Donald Trump is. Just the fact that I met him in person didn't change that. The fact that I reported honestly is not a sin either."[13]
He also confirmed that he and David had not spoken since the essay's publication but left open the possibility of reconciliation.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Diamond, Dan (April 14, 2025). "Trump charmed Bill Maher. The comedian's fans don't find it funny". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ Mwachiro, Mark (March 24, 2025). "Bill Maher to Meet With Donald Trump". Adweek. Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ Timotija, Filip (April 12, 2025). "Maher praises 'gracious and measured' Trump after White House visit". The Hill. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ Davis, Clayton (April 12, 2025). "Keith Olbermann Slams Bill Maher for 'Prostituting Himself' Over Trump Dinner Praise: 'This Is So He Can Keep His HBO Show'". Variety. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ Krauze, León (April 14, 2025). "Bill Maher went to Washington. He got played". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ Kornick, Lindsay (April 21, 2025). "Larry David mocks Bill Maher's meeting with Trump as 'My Dinner with Adolf' in NYT satire". Fox News. Archived from the original on April 24, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ Silow-Carroll, Andrew (April 22, 2025). "Larry David's 'My Dinner with Adolf' essay skewers Bill Maher's meeting with Trump". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ Dunn, Jack (April 22, 2025). "Larry David Spoofs Bill Maher's White House Visit With 'My Dinner With Adolf' Essay: 'Private Hitler Was a Completely Different Animal'". Variety. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ a b Healy, Patrick (April 21, 2025). "Opinion Today: Larry David Imagines a Private Dinner With Hitler". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 27, 2025. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ a b Arkin, Daniel (April 22, 2025). "Larry David mocks Bill Maher's dinner with Trump in an op-ed for The New York Times". NBC News. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ Murphy, Chris (April 25, 2025). "Bill Maher Thinks Larry David's Harsh Jokes About Him Are "Kind of Insulting to 6 Million Dead Jews"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ Wulfsohn, Joseph (April 24, 2025). "Bill Maher fires back at Larry David over 'My Dinner with Adolf' op-ed, says it insults '6 million dead Jews'". Fox News. Archived from the original on April 26, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ Jefferson, Dee (April 25, 2025). "Bill Maher calls Larry David's satire of his Trump dinner 'kind of insulting to 6 million dead Jews'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^ Segarra, Edward. "Bill Maher blasts Larry David for alleged Hitler comparison: 'It's kind of insulting'". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on April 26, 2025. Retrieved April 27, 2025.