First lady Melania Trump savagely criticized ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel as a “coward” after he referred to her as “an expectant widow” two days before Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” Trump, 56, wrote in a post on X.
The comic is facing severe backlash after Saturday’s shooting at the gala dinner, in which a Secret Service agent suffered minor injuries after a gunman charged a checkpoint in a bid to kill President Trump and others in his administration.
Kimmel mocked the dinner on his show on Thursday night, giving his own speech in which he said: “Our first lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
The first lady also accused the Disney-owned network of protecting the host and called for ABC to step in and yank him off the air.
“A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him,” she wrote.
“Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community?”
