President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are taking aim at late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel over a joke he made about the first lady looking like an "expectant widow," days before the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday.
In a fiery statement Monday on social media, President Trump criticized Kimmel's joke and called on Disney — which owns ABC and airs the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show — to fire the host.
"He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren’t, and never would be. He then stated, 'Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow,'" Trump said on his Truth Social platform. "A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives. He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason."
Earlier in the day, First Lady Melania Trump called Kimmel "a coward," and also urged ABC to "take a stand" against the comedian.
"Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country," Trump said. "His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough."
Kimmel made the joke two days before a gunman attempted to breach the ballroom where President Trump and the first lady were joined by more than 2,400 other guests to celebrate the First Amendment and the White House press. The suspect was charged Monday with attempted assassination.
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However, It's not the first time Kimmel and ABC have faced criticism from high-ranking political figures. Last year, President Trump repeatedly blasted Kimmel over controversial remarks he made following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The comedian was then briefly suspended from hosting his show in September but returned a week later.
Trump has also taken aim at other late-night comedians over jokes he doesn't approve of. Earlier this year, he threatened to sue "The Daily Show" host Trevor Noah over a joke he made referencing Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The president and the first lady have repeatedly sought to distance themselves from Epstein. Both have also denied having ever visiting the disgraced financier's island, where prosecutors say he trafficked and sexually abused underage girls.
