This week, Donald Trump issued a vague statement about abortion that superficially disagrees with the official platform of the Republican Party. Some Republicans have even publicly complained about it. But on Tuesday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” host Jimmy Kimmel wasn’t buying this for a second.
As far as the ABC host was concerned, any apparent disagreement between Trump and other Republicans is kayfabe — the term referring to how professional wrestlers maintain the fictional narrative of the profession even when they’re off the clock.
“It’s like wrestling, but with guys who, if you saw them in their underpants, you would throw up,” Kimmel said during his monologue.
On Monday, Trump released a video expressing yet another vaguely worded position on abortion in order to distance himself from the total ban that is the official policy of the Republican Party and something he has repeatedly endorsed himself.
The reason is that as it turns out, Americans overwhelmingly support abortion rights. And ever since the repeal of Roe v. Wade — which happened because Trump, as he repeatedly promised in 2016, appointed anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court — Republicans have seen serious electoral setbacks everywhere abortion has been an election issue.
Trump’s statement lied about how legal scholars felt about Roe, and about Democrats. But he did say states “will determine” whether abortion is legal “by vote, or legislation, or perhaps vote,” ambiguous phrasing has since been reported as Trump suggesting that individual states could decide for themselves.
Which brings us back to Kimmel, who pointed out that “Trump appointed three of those judges to the Supreme Court which led to overturning Roe v. Wade, but now he’s saying he’s not for a federal law against abortion. He thinks the decision should be left to the states.”
Kimmel continued: “Trump believes that every woman should have the right to drive 600 miles for health care. And this is now upsetting a lot of his supporters, including Sen. Lindsey Graham.”
Kimmel went on to explain why he isn’t buying any Graham-Trump beef. “With Lindsey Graham, this is a game they’re playing. Because seven out of 10 Americans believe women should have the right to choose and Republicans are losing elections on this. So Trump is going to be the good guy, or the bad guy depending on which side you’re on, and then Lindsay will be on the other side, fitting hissy, saying Trump is too lenient to calm the pro-choice Republicans down.”
Hence, the whole thing is “like wrestling” — but with men you’d rather not see in their underwear.
Watch the full “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” clip in the video above.
