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Donald Trump’s claim that he could outdo Jimmy Kimmel came while Trump was hosting the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors. He called Kimmel “horrible” and said he should not be president if he could not beat Kimmel “in terms of talent”—a conditional boast, not the result of an objective comparison between the two hosts.
What Trump said about Jimmy Kimmel
While hosting the Kennedy Center Honors, Trump said, “I’ve watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible.” He followed with: “If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president.” The Associated Press described the comments as a swipe at Kimmel and noted that the two had been sharp critics of each other. Associated Press
The phrase “better host” is a shorthand for Trump’s conditional claim. It does not establish that either man is objectively more skilled at hosting, and the available audience figures cannot settle that question.
The Honors broadcast and its reported audience
The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors took place on December 7 and aired on CBS on December 23, according to TV Insider. The AP reported that no president had previously hosted the program.
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TV Insider reported that the telecast averaged 3.01 million viewers, compared with 4.1 million for the 2024 broadcast—a 25 percent year-over-year decline. The outlet characterized the 2025 telecast as the lowest-rated in the event’s history. These are TV Insider’s reported figures; they are not presented here as an independently verified ratings result.
Kimmel’s later response
TV Insider reported that Kimmel returned to the boast in his first monologue of 2026, connecting Trump’s claims about his hosting and expected ratings with the Honors audience figure. The outlet quoted Kimmel saying: “After boasting about what a great host he is and how much better he is than I am and how huge his ratings would be, Trump hosted the lowest-rated Kennedy Center Honors telecast of all time.” This is TV Insider’s account of the monologue, not a review of the full episode transcript.
The earlier Trump–Kimmel dispute
The hosting remark came amid a broader public conflict. At a September 18, 2025 press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a reporter asked Trump about Kimmel’s suspension and whether free speech was more under attack in Britain or the United States. In the official transcript, Trump said Kimmel had been fired for bad ratings and for saying “a horrible thing” about Charlie Kirk, and called him untalented. That exchange preceded the Kennedy Center hosting remarks and was a separate discussion. U.S. Government Publishing Office transcript
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the comparison does—and does not—show
Trump hosted the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors; Kimmel has hosted the Oscars four times, according to a December 2025 report by Stars and Stripes. Those are different programs, and the Honors’ reported year-over-year audience drop is not a direct measure of either person’s hosting ability. The exchange is best understood as a celebrity-and-politics feud playing out around a high-profile broadcast, rather than a measured contest with a definitive winner.
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