When it comes to Donald Trump, Jimmy Kimmel pulls no punches.
In recent weeks, the 56-year-old has mocked the former president for his remarks on the Israel-Hamas conflict, his court appearances and his polling figures. Now, Kimmel is poking fun at the business mogul with a brutal Adolf Hitler comparison, after President Joe Biden accused Trump of using language similar to the Nazis.
"I know a lot of people have been comparing Trump to Hitler lately but there are some major differences between them," the comedian said during the opening monologue of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on November 15. "For instance, Hitler was married to a woman who loved him."
Kimmel appeared to be referencing the rumors that the real estate magnate and his wife Melania Trump are getting a divorce. Claims that the couple were heading for a split began circulating in August, after an anonymous source allegedly told RadarOnline that Trump's legal troubles had caused a rift with the former model. However, these claims could not be verified.
Kimmel then used the Nazi comparison to ridicule Trump's intelligence, telling the audience: "I will say, I get why people believe Trump is intentionally using words the Nazis used, I just don't agree that he is.
"In order to know what word the Nazis used, you'd have to read, OK? You'd have to have some basic knowledge of history."
Kimmel continued: "Trump thinks Frederick Douglass is alive and doing an amazing job. He thinks Lincoln invented the town car, OK? He isn't echoing Nazi terminology, he's coming up with it all on his own."
In 2017 Trump described 19th century abolitionist Douglass as "an example of somebody who's done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more."
Newsweek has reached out to Jimmy Kimmel for comment via email.
On November 14, Biden lambasted Trump for using the word "vermin" to describe his political foes, believing it echoes terms used by the Nazis in the 1930s.
At a fundraiser in San Francisco, the 80-year-old told attendees: "In just the last few days, Trump has said if he returns to office he's gonna go after all those who oppose him and wipe out what he called the 'vermin…in America.' It echoes language you heard in Nazi Germany in the 30s."
"It isn't even the first time," Biden continued. "Trump also recently talked about quote, 'the blood of America is being poisoned'… Again, echoes the same phrases used in Nazi Germany."
Despite his legal battles—which include 91 charges across four jurisdictions—Trump is still leading in the Republican presidential primaries. According to polling analysis site FiveThirtyEight, Trump is currently polling at 59.1 percent, followed by Ron DeSantis at 14.1 percent and Nikki Haley with 9.4 percent.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more
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