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Kimmel Hits Back After Trump’s State of the Union With On-Air Rebuttal

The late-night host escalated a running feud days after a Trump fundraising email singled him out with a 'MAGA Rally Blitz' pitch.

Overview

  • Jimmy Kimmel delayed his show to react to President Donald Trump’s lengthy State of the Union and delivered his own “State of the Union” monologue critiquing the address.
  • On air, Kimmel described Trump’s speech as angry, mocked specific claims, and framed his rebuttal as the “real” state of the country from his perspective.
  • Kimmel’s response followed his Feb. 23 return monologue, where he read a Feb. 19 Trump campaign email that labeled him a “ratings-starved hack” and promoted a “MAGA Rally Blitz” and an “exclusive 2026 MAGA Membership.”
  • He ridiculed the email’s phrasing — joking it sounded like an order at Dairy Queen — and questioned why a sitting president in a second term was sending fundraising appeals.
  • Referencing recent context, Kimmel noted the Supreme Court’s 6–3 ruling against Trump’s tariffs while suggesting the decision helps explain the campaign’s fundraising push, and coverage reported no new direct reply from Trump to Kimmel’s latest remarks.