Trump calls Jimmy Kimmel ‘horrible’ as president hosts Kennedy Center Honors

President Donald Trump joked that he shouldn’t be in office if he can’t outperform comedian Jimmy Kimmel when hosting the Kennedy Center Honors this weekend.

“I’ve watched some of the people that host; Jimmy Kimmel was horrible,” Trump said on Saturday during an Oval Office ceremony to present the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees with their medals.

“If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent then I don't think I should be president,” he said.

On Sunday, Trump is set to host the glitzy, star-studded event, becoming the first-ever president to do so. Past hosts have included Leonard Bernstein, Glenn Close and David Letterman. The awards recognize individuals for their contributions to American culture through the performing arts. Among the recipients were actor Sylvester Stallone and members of the rock band KISS.

“I’m going to make a prediction,” Trump said. “This will be the highest rated show they’ve ever done.”

“I’m sure they’ll give me great reviews, right?” he said. “You know, they’ll say he was horrible. He was terrible. It was a horrible situation. No, we’ll do fine.”

Kimmel, the host of a late-night talk show on ABC, has exchanged barbs with Trump for years.

During recent monologues, he’s described the Republican president as a “chubby little teacup” and said he appeared to have suffered a stroke. Trump, in turn, has dismissed Kimmel as having "zero talent," accused him of poor ratings and repeatedly called for the cancellation of his program.