Donald Trump Defends His Presidency By Competing With Jimmy Kimmel's 'Horrible' Hosting Talent

What Jimmy Kimmel can do as a host, Donald Trump insists he can do far better.

Over the weekend, the U.S president reignited his feud with Kimmel, belittling the comedian's abilities and claiming he outshines him.

The back-and-forth between Trump and the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” presenter has stretched from Kimmel's ABC suspension to a stream of jabs from both sides.

Now, doubling down on his long-running criticism of Kimmel's talent, Trump is looking to give Kimmel a run for his money as he prepares to host the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors.

While presenting this year's honorees at the Oval Office ceremony on Saturday, Trump offered bold predictions about his upcoming hosting duties and the ratings he expects.

"We have never had a President hosting the awards before. This is the first," Trump boasted, per Deadline. He continued with a mix of confidence and sarcasm, saying:

"I'm sure they'll give me great reviews, right? You know they'll say he was horrible. He was terrible. It was a horrible situation. No, we'll do fine."

The commander-in-chief added that he had seen other hosts, especially Kimmel, and believed he could outperform them.

"Jimmy Kimmel was horrible, and some of these people. If I can't beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don't think I should be president," the 79-year-old declared.

He went on to predict that the event would break records when it airs later this month on CBS, calling it "the highest rated show they've ever done."

Trump's latest remarks mark yet another strike in his ongoing beef with Kimmel, a clash that Kimmel's wife, Molly McNearney, said has taken a personal toll and strained several of her relationships.

As The Blast previously reported, McNearney opened up about the emotional impact of the feud, saying, "It hurts me so much because of the personal relationship I now have where my husband is out there fighting this man."

She also admitted feeling deeply hurt when close friends and even relatives voted for the world leader despite her pleas, describing their choice as a painful rejection of her family.

The divide, she said, has fractured certain relationships and pushed her closer to relatives who share her views.

The clash between Trump and the TV personality escalated further when Trump threatened to sue ABC after they reinstated the late-night host. 

Kimmel was temporarily suspended over comments he made about the Charlie Kirk shooting, a move Trump immediately celebrated as "great news for America."

However, when Kimmel returned just a week later with a monologue addressing the controversy and criticizing  Trump's attempt to silence him, the politician fired back.

According to The Blast, the leader took to Truth Social to slam ABC for keeping a host he claimed had "no talent" and audience.

"Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who's not funny, and who puts the network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE?" Trump wrote. 

Showing how displeased he was, the businessman then teased that he would start a “lucrative” lawsuit against the company. 

Kimmel, in turn, shot back at Trump during a live segment of his show where he mocked Trump's rant and dubbed him "the mad red hatter."

Per The Blast, he joked that if Trump was shocked, ABC brought him back; he was also equally appalled that Trump "got his own job back."

When an audience member interrupted, Kimmel quipped, "Freedom of speech is only for me. You do not interrupt the president."

The 58-year-old TV producer also ridiculed Trump's team for scrambling to explain his comments, saying Trump destroys their efforts with impulsive posts. He added that, despite Trump's denial, his message sounded a lot like a threat to ABC.

Just days after they clashed over his brief TV hiatus, Kimmel took another swipe at Trump. As The Blast reported, Kimmel poked fun at Trump's infamous "bad escalator" moment at the United Nations.

The late-night host posted a photo on Instagram of Guillermo Rodriguez smiling and riding a smoothly working escalator. He captioned it, "Headed to Brooklyn! Escalator is working great!"

The joke referenced Trump's September 23 UN visit, where the escalator carrying him and First Lady Melania Trump stalled halfway, forcing them to walk the rest of the way. Trump later brought up the incident in his speech, describing it as a near-mishap avoided thanks to Melania’s fitness.