Former President Donald Trump faced ridicule for appearing to confuse Jimmy Kimmel with Al Pacino in a Truth Social post raging against the talk show host's monologue about his hush money payment trial.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, took to his social media profile Wednesday morning to attack Kimmel for mocking his legal woes as jury selection continued in the trial.
Trump is accused of falsifying business documents in making payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election to prevent her from speaking publicly about her claims of an affair with him, which he denies. Trump has also pleaded not guilty to all charges and claims he is the victim of a political witch hunt.
On Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday night, the host joked about the trial, describing it as "another stormy day in New York" and "a new episode of the orange peoples' court today, starring Donald J. Trump."
"Ebenezer Snooze was up bright and early today, mashing those little fingers on his phone, lashing out at the judge," Kimmel joked in the segment, referring to reports that Trump appeared to be sleeping during the court proceedings.
The monologue sparked fury from Trump, who responded to Kimmel by writing that he "still hasn't recovered from his horrendous performance and big ratings drop as Host of The Academy Awards." Trump previously criticized Kimmel for making a joke at his expense while hosting the Oscar show.
However, the post drew attention when he wrote that Kimmel allegedly "stumbled through announcing the biggest award of all, Picture of the Year."
"It was a CLASSIC CHOKE, one of the biggest ever in show business, and to top it off, he forgot to say the famous and mandatory line, 'AND THE WINNER IS.' Instead he stammered around as he opened the envelope," Trump wrote.
Except it was Al Pacino, best known for his role in The Godfather, not Kimmel, who announced the award for Best Picture.
Pacino went viral on social media after handing out the award, as presenters usually list each film nominated before announcing the winner. Pacino, however, did not. He previously told Newsweek that there was no mistake on his part, and that producers opted for him to only name the winner as each nominee was highlighted throughout the ceremony.
Critics responded to Trump appearing to mix up the two on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign for comment via email.
"Except your guy mistook Kimmel for Al Pacino," wrote tennis star Martina Navratilova, a frequent Trump critic, responding to an account that said Trump "s*** all over Jimmy Kimmel."
"1. Trump is still fixated on Jimmy Kimmel's Oscar-hosting performance more than a month later. 2. Trump is also confusing Kimmel for Al Pacino," posted Justin Baragona, a reporter for The Daily Beast.
"I thought Al Pacino opened envelope and announced Best Picture at the Oscars. Is Donald Trump OK?" wrote TV producer and filmmaker Morgan J. Freeman.
The BidenHQ X account, run by Biden's reelection campaign, posted, "A feeble and confused Trump posts an error-riddled rant falsely claiming that Jimmy Kimmel presented Best Picture (or, as he describes, "Picture of the Year") at the Oscars."
"What a weird, sad, thin-skinned man," wrote Ally Sammarco, a contributor for MeidasTouch.
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Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more
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