A week after Jimmy Kimmel joked about Donald Trump at the Oscars, reading a social media post from the former president before taking a jab, Trump found a way to get back at the late night host. In an interview with Fox News’ “MediaBuzz” on Sunday, Trump talked about Kimmel and said, “His ratings are terrible. He’s not a talented guy.”
Trump admitted that he “never expected” Kimmel to mention him on the Academy Awards, let alone read his Truth Social post shortly after he sent it. “I said, ‘This guy’s even dumber than I thought,’” Trump said. “The thing went viral. It’s been all over the world now, and all he had to do is keep his mouth shut.”
On last Sunday’s Oscars, Kimmel read a post Trump wrote reviewing the comedian’s performance hosting the Academy Awards. He did so despite being asked by the show’s producer, who also happens to be his wife, not to do so. At the end, Kimmel joked, “Well, thank you President Trump. Thank you for watching, I’m surprised you’re still up. Isn’t it past your jail-time?”
Trump’s post read, “Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars. His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be. Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed up, but cheap, ABC ‘talent,’ George Slopanopoulos.”
“He would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous,” Trump’s post continued. “Also a really bad politically correct show tonight, and for years – Disjointed, boring, and very unfair. Why don’t they just give the Oscars to those that deserve them. Maybe that way their audience and TV ratings will come back from the depths. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
While Kimmel continued living in Trump’s head rent-free, he wasn’t the only person the former president trashed Sunday. After host Howard Kurtz asked how he felt about CNN and NBC cutting off Trump’s speeches in the middle, or not airing them at all, the former president expressed disbelief.
“But when you’re using public airwaves and you don’t have — you cover a candidate for months, you cover him as a negatively as possible — or her, could be her — and then, all of a sudden that candidate wins in a landslide and it’s very exciting and everybody wants to watch, and you don’t cover his speech! And, it’s incredible,” Trump explained.
“I guess it was ‘Fake Tapper’ or somebody turned it off, he said, ‘Turn it off.’ I think, actually, MSNBC did do it — ‘MSDNC’ — but they did do it. But I think it was CNN that didn’t cover it,” he continued.
“Jake Tapper, who I used to know and actually sort of liked him, actually, but he hurts himself very badly when he does a thing like that. And he hurts the ratings, too. You look at CNN ratings, they’re so bad.”
It should be noted, CNN doesn’t use “public airwaves” and most viewers don’t watch even broadcast stations over those airwaves anymore.
Watch an excerpt of the interview with Trump in the video above and see more clips at this link.
