Musician Robert Ritchie, better known as Kid Rock, entertained comedian Bill Maher’s television audience by recounting an unexpected golf outing with Donald Trump that ended with the singer speaking directly to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Appearing as a guest on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Ritchie shared the anecdote during an episode that also featured Senator Ted Cruz and journalist Jim VandeHei. Ritchie described how Trump was managing official duties throughout their time on the golf course, noting that the president kept busy with incoming calls and maintains a demanding schedule with minimal sleep.
According to Ritchie, Trump received a call from Macron while they were playing and abruptly looped the musician into the conversation. Standing near the presidential golf cart, Ritchie said Trump introduced him by stating he was with the musician before telling him to greet the French leader.
“So he gives me the phone and I’m like, ‘Hello, Mr. President,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m from the Paris of the Midwest: Detroit.’ And Trump leaves, he gets in the golf cart,” Ritchie told the audience, drawing laughter from Maher and the panel.
Left holding the line with the head of state, Ritchie recalled asking the French leader, “So what else you been up to?” Maher chuckled at the recollection, noting that Trump had simply driven away and left Macron on the phone with the musician.
The televised anecdote followed a recent White House dinner attended by Maher, Ritchie, and ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith. During the same episode, Maher addressed a critical Truth Social post directed at him by Trump following their second dinner gathering at the executive mansion, comparing dining with Trump to dating Taylor Swift by remarking that it is enjoyable at the moment but brings severe public fallout later.
The segment drew swift criticism from Democratic political strategist Kaivon Shroff, who challenged the panel’s lighthearted reception of the story. Shroff argued that the reaction from Maher was performative, suggesting that a similar incident during Barack Obama’s presidency would have drawn severe condemnation from the comedian.
“If Barack Obama had handed Emmanuel Macron off to some celebrity on a golf course and driven away, Maher would have gone on a ten-minute rant about how unserious, embarrassing and beneath the presidency it was,” Shroff said, accusing the host of tailoring his persona to flatter Trump.
