Jimmy Kimmel recently reacted to Donald Trump criticizing a reporter outside the White House before this year’s Halloween celebrations. The late-night host broke down the tense exchange and highlighted what he considered to be an ironic side to it.
Jimmy Kimmel reacts to Donald Trump lashing out at a reporter
Jimmy Kimmel reacted to President Donald Trump’s recent words to a Reuters reporter on his Jimmy Kimmel Live! show. Trump insulted the journalist outside the White House before the annual Halloween event on October 29, 2026.
In the exchange, Trump called the Reuters reporter “sick” for asking about his canceled Kansas trip. He then escalated, saying, “You are a sick guy. Reuters is terrible, by the way.” The president also targeted the reporter’s appearance. “You are disgusting. Put yourself in shape. You look like hell,” Trump told the journalist.
Kimmel highlighted that he felt it was ironic for Trump to criticize someone else’s physique. He joked that the President should visit the White House reflecting pool to see his own reflection.
The late-night host then turned to the White House Halloween celebration on the South Lawn. Kimmel noted that eerie circus organ music played as Trump handed out candy to children.
Trump had returned from a midterm rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, earlier that day. He canceled a planned trip to Kansas in favour of a tele-rally appearance. Kimmel also highlighted a Fox News interview from the rally. An attendee named Tom compared the event to the Jonestown Massacre. “I was a little too young to get involved,” Tom told the Fox News reporter. Kimmel praised the moment, calling it “seeing a cult right up front.”
The monologue also addressed Trump’s repeated claims about passing cognitive tests three times. Kimmel dismissed the tests as routine assessments, not academic achievements. He also covered the fired press secretary Katie Zachariah’s awkward interview with Piers Morgan.
