Jimmy Kimmel wasted no time condemning President Donald Trump over his viral remarks about Iran destroying American cities.
At a rally in Nebraska on Monday, Trump discussed rising prices tied to the ongoing Iran war, calling them “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.”
“They could take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles; let them take out San Diego,” he said next, drawing cheers from the crowd. “This is a very small price to pay. And it’s gonna be over with very soon.”
Kimmel played the clip of Trump’s speech on his show Tuesday, drawing boos from his live studio audience (which is based in Los Angeles).
“You’re booing, but they’re cheering!” Kimmel noted of Trump’s Republican crowd.
Jimmy Kimmel blasted Trump’s suggestion that Iran could ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego (Jimmy Kimmel Live/ABC)
‘They could take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles; let them take out San Diego,’ Trump said at a rally in Nebraska on Monday (Getty)
“I know he says a lot of crazy things. I know this is something we’ll forget about by Thursday when he accidentally swallows a baby at a rally or whatever the hell he does next. But that’s one of the craziest, indefensible statements I’ve ever heard even this maniac make,” the host continued.
“Openly musing about Iran, a country we are currently at war with, taking out two taking out two American cities while his adoring fans cheer him on. But it’s okay because we’re liberals. We deserve to get bombed.”
He continued: “Can somebody please change this man’s diaper already? I think that old nut has been sitting in his own excrement too long. He has the rant-a virus and it needs to be treated medically. Now we have our own president wishing death to America.
“We already had a huge bomb here this weekend. It’s called Digger,” Kimmel added in a jab at Tom Cruise’s box office bomb.
“This is insane,” Kimmel went on. “It really is. Even from him. And do you remember how upset the red hat club was when I did a joke about Trump and Melania’s May-December romance?” Kimmel was referring to a joke in which he described Melania as having “the glow of an expectant widow,” a gag he later claimed was about the 24-year age gap between the president and first lady.
The joke drew backlash from conservative commentators, several of whom branded Kimmel’s remarks “dangerous.” He then played a series of clips from conservative media figures criticizing him.
“If that rhetoric was deranged and dangerous and violent and dark, surely you must be mortified by the president of the United States casually ruminating about the deaths of 13 million people,” Kimmel said, before cutting to conservative commentator’s defending the president’s remarks.
One news commentator is shown saying: “The question on everyone’s mind is: Why can’t the left take a joke?”
“That’s right,” Kimmel replied. “You know what? I’m going to report him to the FCC. The hypocrisy is so glaring you can’t even turn your head toward it. You will get blinded. Do you want to know the real reason Trump hates California? I’ll tell you. It has nothing to do with politics.”
He then showed a clip of California Governor Gavin Newsom greeting Melania with a kiss.
“It’s because our governor got farther with his wife than he has in 15 years,” Kimmel added. “And she’s been California dreaming ever since.”
The White House has since blasted media coverage of Trump’s remarks about Iran “taking out” U.S. cities, arguing that news outlets had taken his comments out of context.
On X, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote: “The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality. He was clearly stating U.S. cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped. America is safer because of the President.”