Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel used his platform on Monday evening to deliver a sharp rebuke to former President Donald Trump, who spent part of the Thanksgiving holiday issuing a lengthy and inflammatory post on his Truth Social platform.
Trump's Holiday Tirade Targets Immigrants and Political Foes
In his holiday message, Trump launched attacks on a wide range of targets, including immigrants, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and President Joe Biden. The former president wrote that Americans had been "so nice in allowing our Country to be divided, disrupted, carved up, murdered, beaten, mugged, and laughed at." This dramatic claim set the stage for Kimmel's pointed response during his opening monologue.
Kimmel's Reality Check for the Former President
Jimmy Kimmel was quick to offer a correction to Trump's assertion. "I hate to be the one to tell you: Our country isn’t being laughed at," Kimmel told his audience. He then delivered the punchline: "They’re laughing at you." This jab taps into a well-known sensitivity of the former president, who has historically reacted strongly to being mocked, even threatening late-night hosts who have made him the butt of their jokes.
Foreign Leaders' Laughter Backs Up the Joke
The sting of Kimmel's joke is rooted in observable reality. Earlier this year, a video surfaced showing several European leaders sharing a laugh over Trump's repeated confusion between the nations of Albania and Armenia. This was not an isolated incident, as similar confusion occurred during his first term in office.
Adding credence to the claim, California Governor Gavin Newsom, a frequent political opponent of Trump, reported witnessing this phenomenon firsthand. "I’ve had the privilege of meeting a lot of foreign leaders," Newsom said at a Politico event in August. "They’re laughing behind his back." This testimony from a prominent political figure underscores the international perception that Kimmel highlighted in his monologue.
The segment reinforces how late-night comedy continues to intersect with and comment on the political landscape, using humour to highlight perceived truths about major figures.