Comedian Bill Maher told Donald Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Friday that she was “enabling pure evil.”

“I must say I have mixed emotions. First of all, you are enabling pure evil,” Maher said, when Conway, a longtime guest of Real Time, appeared via satellite on the show.

“Come on, Bill, you can do better than that,” she responded.

Maher went on to compliment Conway, who became Trump’s campaign manager in August after a shake-up, for managing to “tame” the Republican presidential nominee.

“Now you’re perhaps the most important person in the world because you seem to be the only person who’s been able to tame Donald Trump,” Maher said. “Many have tried, but only you were able to pull that sword out of the stone. How did you do it?”

Conway repeatedly defended Trump, as Maher criticized him for lying and making offensive statements.

“I actually think we’re going to win, Bill. You know it, you feel it,” Conway said. “The Democrats may not like that—I know you’re stuck with a lemon here with 53 days to go and we’re surging, and I’m sorry for that, because she has never been somebody who recaptures the momentum.”

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Write to Katie Reilly at Katie.Reilly@time.com.