NEWSDonald Trump Jokes He Doesn't 'Deserve to Be President' If He Can't 'Beat Out Jimmy Kimmel in Terms of Talent'
Donald Trump joked about resigning if he can’t out-host Jimmy Kimmel at the Kennedy Center Honors.
Dec. 27 2025, Published 9:31 a.m. ET
Donald Trump made a bold statement hinting that he’d resign the presidency if he couldn’t host better than Jimmy Kimmel. He cracked this joke during the Kennedy Center Honors event at the White House.
Donald Trump delivered a playful jab at talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel during his opening remarks.
In this light-hearted moment, the U.S. President took a jab at his longtime talk show nemesis while highlighting this year’s award nominees, which included iconic names like KISS and Sylvester Stallone.
KISS was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors.
Trump, who hosted the Kennedy Center Honors event, which aired on TV on December 23, expressed an expectation that the media would scrutinize his hosting skills, regardless of how well he performed.
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Donald Trump showcased his hosting skills at the Kennedy Center Honors.
“I’ve seen a ton of terrible hosts over the years," Trump quipped, specifically taking aim at Kimmel. While Kimmel has never hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, he’s taken on the Academy Awards stage four times, making it clear Trump was referring to one of those gigs.
Trump humorously declared, “If I can't beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don't deserve to be president.”
'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' went on a week-long break in September.
The feud between Trump and Kimmel is well-documented, with Trump even recently calling for Kimmel's show to be canceled after the host's comments regarding Charlie Kirk's shooter back in September. Trump didn't hold back and labeled Kimmel a "talentless bum" in a post on Truth Social. Kimmel was quick to retaliate, responding to Trump with his own jab: "Quiet, piggy!"
Kimmel recently hit back at Trump in a Christmas message.
"I do know what’s going on over here, though, and I can tell you that, from a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year. Tyranny is booming over here," the Times reported of Kimmel's comments.
Kimmel then spoke out about his suspension, saying Trump wanted to "shut me up because I don’t adore him in the way he likes to be adored."
“We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night," Kimmel continued, before calling Trump “King Donny the Eighth” and referencing him as “the guy who thinks he is our king."
“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,” Kimmel concluded.
