Fox News panel rips Jimmy Kimmel for 'sarcastic' joke about Trump wanting Iran to attack US

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A discussion on Fox News turned heated after panelists criticized late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for a joke suggesting that President Donald Trump might politically benefit if Iran attacked the United States.

The debate began after Fox News anchor Trace Gallagher played a clip from Kimmel’s show in which the comedian mocked the idea of a potential drone strike while discussing tensions involving Iran. 

Fox News panelist slams Jimmy Kimmel's Iran joke

In the segment, Kimmel joked about the possibility of an attack and suggested that Trump might see it as politically advantageous.

“We can’t handle a drone strike. We barely survived the writer’s strike here, okay?” Kimmel said in the clip aired on the program. “And I hope these Iranians realize Donald Trump wants you to bomb us. For him, that would be a win-win. He might even bomb us himself and blame it on you.”

After playing the clip, Gallagher expressed skepticism about the tone of the joke and whether it would resonate beyond Kimmel’s audience.

“I mean, and on it goes. I guess it’s funny in the Kimmel bubble, but it’s just one of those things like, okay,” Gallagher remarked.

During the discussion, political and media strategist Christina Pascucci criticized the remark, arguing that joking about a foreign adversary attacking the United States was inappropriate given the seriousness of national security issues.

“National security shouldn’t be punchline material right now,” Pascucci said during the segment.

She emphasized that political debate about government decisions is normal, but drawing humor from the idea of an enemy nation attacking the country crosses a line for many viewers.

“We can debate policy. We can debate strategy. You can even talk about whether or not you agree with the president,” Pascucci said.

“But I think at this point, even sarcastically talking about a foreign adversary attacking us or seemingly encouraging them to do so is not something most Americans are aligned with.”

Jimmy Kimmel’s past remarks about ICE, Trump draw backlash

The latest criticism of Kimmel comes amid previous controversies surrounding his commentary on immigration enforcement and the Trump administration.

Following the death of Renee Good in Minnesota during an encounter involving agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Kimmel criticized the agency and the administration while discussing the incident on his show.

“Donald Trump is going to kill you”, Kimmel had said.

During that segment, he suggested that Trump’s policies empowered immigration authorities in ways that critics say could lead to tragedies.

Those remarks prompted backlash from some conservative commentators who accused the late-night host of mischaracterizing the circumstances surrounding the case and unfairly targeting federal law enforcement agencies.