Comedian Bill Maher, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, suggested that the Democratic Party needs to find “an alpha” politician, warning that voters can “smell a phony a mile away.”

Maher, who just met with the president at the White House, acknowledged that Trump is “one of the most effective politicians,” an assessment he believes himself despite being Trump’s “biggest critic.” He added that one reason Trump is so popular is that the president has “moments” that no other politician can generate, recalling how Trump directly threatened Taliban leaders during his first presidency, which Maher said he “f***ing” loved.