Maher hit back at the suggestion he had painted Trump in a good light.

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

Penn fired back that Maher could have done more “editing” in relaying the details of dinner, suggesting the host could have simply said, “He treated me fine, that’s that.”

The actor has humanitarian, journalistic and political interests outside of his movie career, including tracking down Mexican drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman in his hideaway to try and tie up a movie deal.

Penn said he had never been invited to dinner with Trump. “The only reason I would not accept an invitation is... it’s a long flight,” he said.

Maher then clapped back, “Really, you’ll meet with f---ing Castro and Hugo Chavez but not the President of the United States?”

The Oscar-winner has had well-documented meetings with Cuban president Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl and firebrand Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez.

Penn stumbled slightly before replying “I, I, saw good results come out of some of those things...”

When Maher interjected, Penn clarified, “I just personally wouldn’t trust anything that was said in the room including personality.”

Maher hit back, “It’s not a matter of trusting it, it’s a matter of seeing it, a matter of experiencing it, knowing it... I’m telling you, there’s a very different guy behind closed doors in a different setting.”

Maher went on to say he could try to broker Penn an invite to a Trump dinner in the future, to potentially discuss political or charity issues.

“I would not fool myself that... I was going to get anywhere with him,” Penn squirmed. “I know that I wouldn’t, I know that I would have no influence.”

Maher said Penn had a “bad attitude” and noted “I’ll tell you this about Donald Trump and you don’t know it because you don’t go to dinners... it’s all about personal relationships... I will get you an invite. He’s a starf---r in a way. I bet you he would like to meet you.”