President-elect Donald Trump's impending move to the White House is a huge challenge for comedians, according to "Freaks and Geeks" producer Judd Apatow, a humorist himself.

"It's hard to be super funny about it because we all feel we might die," Apatow said during a panel with journalists about the new HBO series "Crashing" he created with stand-up comic Pete Holmes.

"Donald Trump can't resist lashing out at Meryl Streep. He's not strong enough to think 'I look like a leader by not responding,'" added the "Girls" series producer.

Trump called celebrated actress Streep a "Hillary flunky" and "one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood" after she berated Trump without ever naming him for his divisive rhetoric as she received a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles last week.

"There are some real situations where he needs to be more thoughtful and quiet, and that's what you can't joke about," Apatow said.

He was speaking at an event during the annual Television Critics Association press tour.

"A lot of our concerns come from (the fact that) he doesn't laugh," said Apatow, 49.

"Laughing shows you're connecting, you're listening and understanding. Someone who doesn't laugh, who doesn't enjoy that connection is deeply troubling."

The US entertainment industry broadly supported Trump's Democratic opponent Clinton, with many stars publicly endorsing her White House run and pumping millions of dollars into her campaign war chest.