Jimmy Kimmel opened his late-night show by bluntly saying President Donald Trump “appears to be deeply unwell, even for him,” and then pointed viewers to a string of tests, scans and strange public moments. The Daily Beast reports that Kimmel made it clear that questions about the president’s health should be taken seriously, not brushed aside.
Even though Kimmel was trying to make light of the moment when he called the Trump’s health into question, there was an underlying gravity beneath his words. Kimmel told his audience, “Our president appears to be deeply unwell, even for him.” He later added, “Something is wrong here. The guy who is running our country is being given unscheduled dementia tests. He’s been given MRIs. He has mystery bruises that he’s covering with Maybelline. And we’re supposed to accept this idea that he’s some cross between Chris Hemsworth and Albert Einstein?” The host also mocked a long Truth Social post from the president as “twice as long as the Gettysburg Address.”
Jimmy Kimmel: “Something is wrong. The guy who’s running our country is being given unscheduled dementia tests. He’s being given MRIs. He has bruises he’s covering with Maybelline. And we’re supposed to accept that he’s between Hemsworth and Einstein?”
pic.twitter.com/9OMEplJeDq
— Lucas Sanders 💙🗳️🌊💪🌈🚺🟧 (@LucasSa56947288) December 11, 2025
Kimmel framed his monologue around recent public images and the president’s own public statements. He noted visible signs that have drawn attention such as his swollen ankles, bandages on the president’s hand and slowed speech in public appearances. And he flagged the president’s claim that he “aced” multiple cognitive exams. Kimmel wasn’t buying it.
The president pushed back online. In a Truth Social post cited by The Daily Beast, Trump called questioning his health “possibly ‘treasonous’” and accused some news outlets of publishing “FAKE reports” that “libel and demean ‘THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.’” The post said he received “perfect marks” in his medical examinations.
Kimmel’s monologue built on a run of media attention about the president’s physical condition. The Indian Express noted that Kimmel’s comments follow weeks of public scrutiny over “mystery bruises,” bandages and other signs seen during rallies and official events.
Trump objects to reports about his obvious aging, saying “it’s seditious, perhaps even treasonous, for The New York Times, and others, to consistently do FAKE reports in order to libel and demean ‘THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.’“
It isn’t. And the reports aren’t fake. pic.twitter.com/V38dQFWzcW
— Jake Tapper 🦅 (@jaketapper) December 10, 2025
Reaction to Kimmel’s segment landed quickly on social platforms. Supporters of the president called the monologue partisan mockery, while critics said it was overdue scrutiny. Media coverage has tracked both the comedian’s critique and the White House responses, with outlets noting the widening public conversation about transparency on presidential health.
Medical professionals and former White House physicians have historically urged clarity and routine disclosure around Trump’s health, though Kimmel’s commentary focused on public signs and the president’s own statements rather than clinical diagnoses. Of course, the fact that there are visible signs and the president’s repeated denials of any concern, quoting his insistence on “PERFECT marks” from his exams, underscores the fact that there is a gap between the facts and the information being made available to the American public.
I retraced Trump’s week from his daily schedule, showing his obvious decline, AND why this matters! Where is our media on this too?https://t.co/Yu4MfFS7Y5 pic.twitter.com/rr6KjjrHDr
— Amy Siskind 🏳️🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) December 6, 2025
The exchange comes amid wider debate over how much health information presidents should release and who evaluates fitness for office. Late-night hosts have long mixed satire with civic critique, and Kimmel used that mix to press a serious point. He argued the public deserves plain answers when visible signs and repeated tests raise questions. The president and his team continue to publicly reject suggestions of illness, while media outlets, and now late-night stages, keep pressing for clarity.
