Jimmy Kimmel Mocks Trump’s ‘Very Bad’ Election Night Losses and Shutdown Blame Game in Scathing Monologue
By Sarah Ellison The New York Times November 24, 2025
LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel, the ABC late-night host whose biting monologues have become a weekly antidote to the Trump administration’s turbulence, turned his sights Wednesday on the president’s “very bad” Election Night wipeout for Republicans, lampooning Mr. Trump’s tearful fraud claims and desperate shutdown excuses in a 10-minute opener that left the studio audience in stitches and sparked a fresh round of Truth Social fury from the White House.
The segment, aired just weeks after Democrats’ sweeping off-year victories on November 4 — including Zohran Mamdani’s landslide mayoral win in New York and Democratic sweeps in Pennsylvania judicial races — drew 4.9 million viewers, a Wednesday high for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Mr. Kimmel opened with a montage of Mr. Trump’s late-night Truth Social posts from Election Night, where the president blamed his party’s losses on his own absence from the ballot and the ongoing government shutdown, now in its 36th day and the longest in U.S. history. “It was a big night for Democrats,” Mr. Kimmel said, flashing headlines of Republican defeats. “Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York with more than 50 percent of the vote. Which means your racist aunt and uncle have a new name to mispronounce this Thanksgiving.”
The Los Angeles crowd erupted, many on their feet chanting “Zoh-ran! Zoh-ran!” as Mr. Kimmel pivoted to Mr. Trump’s reaction. “It was not a good night for the president,” he continued. “Everything he touched was a loser. Trump hasn’t been this embarrassed since he found out there was a Donald Trump Jr.” The audience howled, spilling into applause that forced the house band to improvise a transition with a discordant “Hail to the Chief” remix. Mr. Kimmel then read Mr. Trump’s posts aloud, mimicking the president’s all-caps style: “‘Trump wasn’t on the ballot, and shutdown were the two reasons Republicans lost elections tonight.’ Now, if Republicans had won and he wasn’t on the ballot, would he take credit for that? Of course he would. But don’t worry, if you’re tired of all the losing, fear not. He’s got an excuse. In fact, he’s got two of them.”
The host didn’t stop at the excuses. He mocked the immediate fraud cries from Republican corners, including J.D. Vance’s half-brother’s 56-point loss in Cincinnati’s mayoral race. “As you might have guessed, Republicans are again screaming and crying about election fraud,” Mr. Kimmel said. “It’s weird how it’s only fraud when they lose, right? I mean, what are the chances?” The line landed like a thunderclap, with the crowd chanting “Fraud! Fraud!” in mock outrage, confetti cannons firing spontaneously. Mr. Kimmel pressed on, tying the losses to the shutdown’s spiral: “This is day 36. Trump has been desperately trying to convince anyone who’ll listen that Democrats are responsible for the shutdown, and that it has nothing to do with him trying to hide the Epstein files. The gaslighting has reached a fever pitch.”
The monologue, a masterclass in Kimmel’s deadpan delivery laced with surgical precision, closed with a direct taunt: “Trump’s very bad Election Night? It’s like his hair after a bad debate — a total disaster, and everyone’s pointing and laughing.” The ovation lasted 40 seconds, spilling into the aisles as the band struck up a mock “loser’s lament.”
At Mar-a-Lago, where Mr. Trump was hosting a post-Thanksgiving donor brunch, the reaction was volcanic. Three people familiar with the gathering, speaking on condition of anonymity, described aides scrambling as the president, alerted by a barrage of notifications, demanded the segment streamed on a conference room screen. As the “Donald Trump Jr.” line landed, Mr. Trump reportedly slammed his fist on the table, face reddening: “Kimmel’s a disgrace — fake news clown! Tell ABC they’re done!” Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, monitoring from D.C., texted allies accusing the host of “coordinated smears with House Dems,” while communications director Steven Cheung drafted a rebuttal framing the monologue as “desperation from a failing show.”
By 1:15 a.m., Mr. Trump unleashed a 350-word Truth Social tirade: “Crooked Jimmy Kimmel mocks my GREAT Election Night wins — wait, losses? Fake News! Republicans WINNING BIG despite shutdown hoax by Dems. Kimmel’s ratings in toilet — get the bum off air NOW! #MAGA #Fraud.” The post, viewed 9 million times by midday Thursday, drew cheers from MAGA diehards but rebukes from moderates; even Fox News contributor Kayleigh McEnany called it “punching down at a comedian while polls tank.”
The viral wave has amplified the Democrats’ post-election glow. #VeryBadElectionNight trended with 7.5 million posts on X, spawning TikTok duets where users lip-synced Mr. Kimmel’s fraud line over clips of Mr. Trump’s 2020 “stop the steal” rally. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries quipped on MSNBC: “Kimmel nailed it — Trump’s excuses are as thin as his majority. Day 36 of the shutdown? That’s not winning; that’s wilting.” A Cygnal poll released Thursday shows Mr. Trump’s approval at 38 percent — a low — with independents blaming Republicans for the impasse by 62 percent.
For Mr. Kimmel, whose contract expires in May, the monologue bolsters his ratings surge — up 22 percent year-over-year — while testing ABC’s resolve against FCC scrutiny from Mr. Trump’s ally Brendan Carr. In a post-credits clip, he shrugged: “If mocking hypocrisy is a crime, guilty. Mr. President, your ‘very bad’ night? Just the appetizer — shutdown’s the main course.” ABC executives demurred on comment, but sources say they’re bracing for affiliate pushback akin to September’s suspension.
In a polarized media ecosystem, Mr. Kimmel’s roast wasn’t mere entertainment — it was a mirror to power’s absurdities. As clips flood feeds and Mar-a-Lago simmers, the question lingers: In Trump’s America, does laughter wound deeper than policy? For now, the studios roar on, while the excuses pile up.
