Jimmy Kimmel’s latest joke made at the expense of the new Homeland Security Secretary, Markwayne Mullin, left Donald Trump fuming. The President, via a phone call on Fox News’ show The Five, slammed Jimmy Kimmel for his ‘plumber’ comment aimed at Mullin.
When the hosts brought up Jimmy Kimmel’s recent piece, in which took a swipe at Markwayne Mullin’s past plumbing job, Trump said, “I’ve watched this guy. Yeah, he’s a loser.” The President went on to question the late-night host’s talent. “He gets no ratings, none and he’s got no talent,” he said.
NEW: President Trump slams Jimmy Kimmel for mocking Secretary Markwayne Mullin with “plumber” jab:
“He’s a loser. He gets no ratings. None. He’s got no talent. He’s got Trump Derangement Syndrome…Markwayne is fantastic…Everybody loves him and I think he’s gonna do a… pic.twitter.com/R2ohQEkvbX
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 26, 2026
Trump continued to slam Kimmel on the phone call, adding during the show, “He’s got Trump Derangement syndrome. I mean, I just can’t believe that he’s even on the air. He shouldn’t be on the air.
Donald Trump’s flak for Jimmy Kimmel’s recent statement didn’t just stop there. “You know, in the old days, when you didn’t have good ratings, or you didn’t have any ratings, practically, you’d get fired,” he added. The President even suggested that Kimmel “should be canned.”
Here’s a brief memory refresher, in case one is needed. Trump’s reply was a response to Kimmel’s latest joke made on his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, earlier this week. Kimmel brought up Mullin’s MMA days and even touched upon his plumbing career.
“Before he was elected to the Senate, Markwayne Mullin was a low-level MMA fighter and a plumber. That’s right, we have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now. Well, it worked for Super Mario, why not Markwayne?” Kimmel said during an episode of his late-night show.
“The President has a whole new generation of thinkers lined up. Instead of Markwayne, how about Lil Wayne for Homeland Security. At least we could get a concert out of it, right?” he added jokingly.
‘Before he was elected to the senate, Markwayne Mullin was a low-level MMA fighter and a plumber’ — Jimmy Kimmel mocks new DHS sec for having a blue-collar background
‘That’s right. We have a PLUMBER protecting us from terrorism now’ pic.twitter.com/NarKEuyIzm
— RT (@RT_com) March 25, 2026
This isn’t the first instance of Donald Trump slamming Kimmel. Trump joked about beating the host in terms of talent last year. Before hosting the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony last year, Trump told the reporters, “We’ve never had a President hosting the awards before. This is a first. I’m sure they’ll give me great reviews.” He went on to say, “If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be President.”
Trump and Jimmy Kimmel’s long-standing rift needs no introduction. Last year, in September, Donald Trump boasted about the temporary suspension of Kimmel’s show Jimmy Kimmel Live! after he made a joke about Charlie Kirk’s assassination on air.
After the show returned on air, Kimmel took a swipe at Trump, referring to him as a “bully.” Kimmel said during one of his monologues on the show, “The President of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs. Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke.”
