Bill Maher and Dr. Phil clash after daytime host refuses to say that Trump is worse than Biden

Bill Maher and Dr. Phil McGraw got into a heated exchange after the longtime TV psychologist refused to concede that former President Donald Trump was worse than President Joe Biden.

On Sunday's episode of Maher's 'Club Random' podcast, Dr. Phil, whose long-running talk show will come to an end later this year, told the host that his future endeavors will involve tackling 'concerns' that face the nation, which he believes is 'headed for a cliff.'

Maher asked him why he feels the country is heading off a cliff, to which McGraw responded: 'Well, it depends on what category you want to talk about. And look … I stayed non-political because I think there's idiocy on both sides … I’m not a big fan of our president or the last one, but I respect the office of the president.'

Maher immediately took issue with McGraw's apparent conflation of the two world leaders. He questioned how he could refer to both of them 'in the same breath.'

Dr. Phil McGraw, whose storied career as a TV doctor will come to an end this year, refused to concede to Bill Maher that Donald Trump was a worse president that Joe Biden

'One of them is much more of a threat to the republic that would be the 45th, would you not agree?' Maher asked. 'C'mon, a threat to the republic Joe Biden? No. 

'Joe Biden is a return to normalcy yet a Democrat who is, yes, too much ensorcelled by his fringe left. He will not ever tell them to sit down and shut up. But I will take that bargain, [as] much as I don't like it, and it's bitter, I will take that bargain over Trump. Come on.'

McGraw answered diplomatically: 'Well, I'm concerned about both sides. And I'm particularly concerned about this woke agenda that's being pushed,' attempting to change the subject.

The pair went on to broadly find themselves on the same page about culture war issues, but Maher then attempted to redirect the conversation to the comparison between the presidents.

'Trump - you gotta, like, be on the page that he's worse than Joe Biden. He's very different than Joe Biden. Come on, doc,' said Maher.

'It's not politics that determine the outcome of society, it's culture,' replied the TV doctor.

'I don't care about politics. You go back to the beginning … Democrats and Republicans have been in control about 50-50. They've had control of the House and Senate while they were in control of the presidency about 50-50, they've had it not in control 50-50. And look where we are. They both come up about the same place. I don't care about that. I care about our culture,' he said.

Finally Maher conceded: 'Okay, I'm disappointed that I can't get you to just out and say that Trump is a completely different animal than the politics on the left and the right that we both agree is very lacking on both sides.'

'He is a completely different element and much more dangerous. I mean, we're talking about some sort of unnatural predator that was introduced into this wild which was a jungle in the first place. But this is a different element. 

'Nobody else has ever tried to not concede an election in this country, tried to overturn an election we all - even the people in his own party - understood was lost. That is a rubicon that we have crossed. That makes him completely unique, a unicorn if a unicorn was a big fat a**hat. If I can't have your faith on that, it's very hard for me to understand where you're coming from on any issue,' concluded Maher.

'That's a copout. What difference does it make?' protested Dr. Phil. 'A: he's not in power now. B: he's probably not gonna be,' he said referring to Trump.

The pair engaged in the semi-heated discussion during Sunday's episode of Maher's podcast 'Club Random'

While Maher made his opinion that Donald Trump is the significantly more dangerous of the two men clear, Dr. Phil refused to concede to that term

Maher then closed the conversation by saying that in friendship, political differences are natural and must be accepted and essentially shelved.

'One thing you have to have in a friendship, and I hope we're friends now for a long time, is the ability to air your differences and then just move on,' he said.

'You're Dr. Phil, you know, you're legendary for being a guy who like fixes other people's problems, a wise elder, and you are, but I'm just not where you are and never will be on this Trump thing and you know where I am. And that's okay.'