Jimmy Kimmel dragged President Donald Trump for his “murdery” Truth Social meltdown.
An upset Trump, 79, veered into outright death-fantasy territory about Democratic lawmakers who released a video urging U.S. service members and members of the intelligence community to refuse illegal orders from the Trump administration.
The president branded them “traitors,” then escalated his rhetoric. “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” he wrote, in a post that would’ve looked at home on a tinpot dictator’s burn-book. He then reposted a supporter baying for executions. “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!” that menacing message read.
Kimmel seized on the outburst in his opening Thursday night, offering a theory as to why Trump felt “a little murdery.”
Referring to Trump’s reaction to the video, Kimmel referenced the murderous Mongol tyrant Genghis Khan. “Of course, that did not go over well with Genghis Khan-man,” he said.
He then homed in on Trump’s apparent fixation with capital punishment. “Seditious behavior punishable by death. Which is one of the worst punishments there is. It’s even worse than losing your TV show, for instance,” he deadpanned—reviving his running gag about Trump trying to get his show canceled.
“No big deal, just the president of the United States musing about congresspeople being executed,” he said, gearing up for a second despot reference. “Kim Dong-Un went so far off the deep end, his spokesniece, Karoline Leavitt, had to answer one of the weirdest questions a White House press secretary has ever been asked,” he said.
The show then cut to Leavitt, rigid behind the podium, fielding a reporter’s blunt query: “President Trump accused six Democratic lawmakers of seditious behavior punishable by death. Just to be clear, does the president want to execute members of Congress?”
“No,” Leavitt replied, stony-faced.
Kimmel pretended to breathe a sigh of relief. “That’s a relief,” he said. “You know what? He spent all day yesterday with that Saudi prince. He just got a little murdery. It happens, you hang around with the wrong crowd.”
The Saudi prince in question, Mohammed bin Salman, was accused by the CIA of ordering the brutal 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi—although Trump refused to address that when he welcomed the prince to the Oval Office this week.
The White House has been contacted for comment.
