Donald Trump joked that failing to outperform Jimmy Kimmel as a host would be grounds for giving up the presidency, delivering the line during his opening remarks at the Kennedy Center Honors event at the White House.
In a lighthearted moment, the president took aim at his longtime late-night rival while introducing this year’s honorees, which included legendary acts such as KISS and actor Sylvester Stallone. Trump, who served as host for the evening—broadcast on television December 23—said he expected intense scrutiny from the media regardless of how the show turned out.
“I’ve seen a ton of terrible hosts over the years,” Trump said with a grin, singling out Kimmel for the punchline. Although Kimmel has never hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, Trump appeared to be referencing Kimmel’s four stints hosting the Academy Awards.
Trump capped the joke with a mock-serious declaration: “If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t deserve to be president.”
The exchange fits into a long-running and very public feud between the two. Trump has previously called for Kimmel’s show to be canceled following the host’s remarks about the shooter who killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September. In a post on Truth Social, Trump labeled Kimmel a “talentless bum,” prompting a sharp response from the comedian, who fired back with his own insult.
Kimmel later addressed the conflict during a Christmas message, taking aim at Trump and his politics. He suggested that efforts to silence him were motivated by Trump’s intolerance for criticism, saying the former president wanted to “shut me up because I don’t adore him in the way he likes to be adored.”
Reflecting on his return to the air, Kimmel added, “We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night,” before jokingly dubbing Trump “King Donny the Eighth” and mocking what he portrayed as monarchical tendencies.
Kimmel closed his remarks on a conciliatory note, telling viewers, “I want you to know that we’re not all like him, we’re not all like that. It may not seem like it, but we love you guys.”
