Jimmy Kimmel has mocked Donald Trump for “running the country like a reality show” as the president-elect works to fill his second administration.
In the past two days, Trump has nominated former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, former Florida representative Matt Gaetz as attorney general, vocal anti-vaxxer Robert F Kennedy Jr as Health and Human Services secretary and Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon.
While Republicans and Democrats have reacted to Trump’s controversial cabinet picks with a mixture of praise, criticism and confusion, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host described the nominations as being even “crazier “ than predicted.
“It has been one interesting week watching Donald Trump go even crazier than anybody even imagined he would,” Kimmel began in his opening monologue on Thursday night.
“He’s running the country like it’s a reality show,” he quipped, adding: “But instead of Meatloaf and Dennis Rodman, he’s got Matt Gaetz and Tulsi Gabbard.”
Kimmel jokingly put forward other considerations for Trump’s cabinet, from Survivor host Jeff Probst and drag queen and television personality RuPaul to Dancing with the Stars hosts Alfonso Riberio and Julianne Hough and comedian Nick Cannon.
“It’s like the worst People’s Choice Awards every day now,” the late night host teased.
Political pundits have suggested that this time around, Trump is choosing loyalty over experience as he makes his high-ranking new hires.
On the other hand, Kimmel believes he knows the real reason for his cabinet picks: “He’s dumb”.
“Some believe he’s testing the Republican Congress to see how far he can push them. Some say he’s doing this strategically to weaken certain sections of government,” he continued.
“Or, and this is the theory that I believe: He’s dumb. He’s a dumb, dumb man.”
Kimmel also took aim at RFK Jr after Trump announced that he was nominating his former presidential rival to lead America’s largest public health body.
“Who better to be in charge of health in humans than a guy whose brain was partially devoured by a worm?” the host said.
“Trump originally wanted a doctor in that role. Turns out that the late, great Hannibal Lecter isn’t a real person. This tells you all you need to know about our country right now.”
Kimmel also pointed out that even Republicans are up in arms with one particular pick: MAGA firebrand Gaetz as Trump’s attorney general.
“If Matt Gaetz is going to be attorney general, why not bring in Gary Busey to run the CIA,” Kimmel quipped, teasing that the Point Break actor could head up the intelligence agency.
If confirmed in the upper chamber, the former congressman will follow current Attorney General Merrick Garland, whose Justice Department carried out a sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz and his associates. Gaetz was ultimately never charged with a crime but was the focus of a House Ethics Committee investigation.
His resignation on Wednesday effectively ended that probe into sexual misconduct and drug use, among other allegations, though calls are mounting for the panel to still release the findings.
While Gaetz faces an “uphill battle” to have his appointment confirmed by the Senate, Kimmel predicted that, ultimately, Trump loyalists will fall in line.
“The list of bootlickers is long and the MAGA minions… are lined up suckle Trump celebrity teats,” Kimmel concluded.
