Right off the bat on Wednesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Kimmel talked about the news that conservative Democrats allied with Republicans to block legislation that would codify the constitutional rights identified in Roe v Wade.
Which at least was an opportunity for some decent jokes about Joe Manchin. And of course Kimmel talked about Donald Trump, who is one of the big reasons we’re in this fix, since Trump, becoming president despite losing the popular vote by 3 million, got to appoint 3 judges to the Supreme Court.
About that, Kimmel reminded everyone that Trump used to insist he was pro-choice and wouldn’t ban abortion.
“Well I’m glad you’re in a good mood. I was wondering because this is a day that – I don’t know what word I want to use to describe it here, shocking, unfathomable, stupefying maybe? Yes, a stupefying day – in the history of this country,” Kimmel began.
“The Senate this afternoon took a vote on whether women should have the right to choose to have an abortion. The bill would have guaranteed pro-choice rights nationwide. It did not pass. It needed 60 votes it only got 51,” Kimmel continued — note, it actually only got 49 votes, because Joe Manchin once again voted with Republicans to stop a Democratic priority.
“Even though a strong majority of American voters want those rights protected. Every Democrat voted in favor of the bill, except Joe Manchin, who voted with his fellow Republicans,” Kimmel joked.
“With the Supreme Court likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Democrats wanted to get their counterparts on the record. Opposing it,” Kimmel went on. “Chuck Schumer said he called for the vote so we would know where Republicans stand. Turns out, they’re standing in the year 1865.”
Then he got to Trump.
“It almost feels like maybe we shouldn’t have let the host of ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ pick three Supreme Court justices, you know? It also almost makes you wish that, that for the last, I don’t know, four years we had a President who believed in letting women make decisions for themselves. A man like this guy,” Kimmel said.
Then Kimmel ran a old clip of the late Tim Russert interviewing Donald Trump, in which the disgraced former president said: “I’m very pro-choice. I hate the concept of abortion. I hate it. I hate everything it stands for. I cringe when I listen to people debating the subject. But you still, I just believe in choice. I am strong for choice and yet I hate the concept of abortion.”
Then Trump was asked by Russert: “But you would not ban it?”
“No,” Trump replied.
Watch the whole clip above.