Bill Maher blasts Sean Penn over Trump meeting criticism: ‘You met with f---ing Castro and Hugo Chavez!’

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Bill Maher ripped Sean Penn after the actor criticized him for his meeting earlier this year with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Penn appeared on Maher’s Club Random podcast to discuss a wide range of topics, including, likening nuclear energy to marriage, and Adolf Hitler “stealing” Charlie Chaplin’s moustache.

But when the subject turned to the Real Time With Bill Maher host’s meeting with Trump, Penn ridiculed him over some of the president’s comments, including his threat to annex Canada.

“But you do, I hope, think I did the right thing to have dinner with him,” Maher said to his “great friend,” to which the Oscar winner replied, “Absolutely, you’re so smart.”

However, Penn said he would reject an invitation to meet with Trump if he ever received one, and that he wished Maher didn’t spend so much time discussing the visit on his show.

“Really, you meet with f***ing Castro and Hugo Chavez, but not the president of the United States?” Maher shot back.

In April, Maher revealed on his show that he had dinner at the White House with Trump and musician Kid Rock and UFC boss Dana White.

The HBO star noted that Trump was “one of the most effective politicians” after what he described as a generally positive meeting with the president — something Penn took issue with, admitting he wished the dinner had been “less successful.”

Maher pointed out, “Well, it was less successful because I never stopped saying all the things I’ve always said about him. It would’ve been successful if he had somehow seduced me into supporting him, so it wasn’t successful.”

Penn has previously sat down with Communist leaders Raul Castro and Hugo Chavez.

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“I saw good results come out of some of those things,” Penn replied.

“I just personally wouldn’t trust anything that was said in the room [with Trump], including the personality.”

Maher dismissed Penn, saying, “It’s not a matter of trusting it, it’s a matter of seeing it, a matter of experiencing it, a matter of knowing it.”

He continued: “It’s like saying, ‘I don’t want this medical test because I don’t want to know.’ I want to know.”

Penn challenged Maher, implying that Trump was performing for him and the HBO host bought it, which Maher denied, saying he would know if the president was faking it.

“You can pretend to be insane. I think it’s harder to pretend to be sane.”