Jimmy Kimmel compares Harris-Trump clash to ‘Lorax debating Grinch,’ calls ex-POTUS' performance a ‘mess’

Jimmy Kimmel mocked Donald Trump’s failure to adopt a ‘happy Trump’ persona and criticized his focus on non-issues
Jimmy Kimmel declared Kamala Harris the clear winner of her debate against Donald Trump (Jimmy Kimmel Live /Getty Images)
Jimmy Kimmel declared Kamala Harris the clear winner of her debate against Donald Trump (Jimmy Kimmel Live /Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: On Tuesday night, Jimmy Kimmel confidently declared that Kamala Harris emerged victorious in her debate against Donald Trump.

Kimmel quipped, “It was like watching the Lorax debate the Grinch tonight. Usually when Donald Trump gets a spanking like this from a woman it’s with a Forbes Magazine."

"Kamala was pushing his buttons like a 12-year-old playing ‘Fortnite',” he humorously remarked during his monologue.

Jimmy Kimmel pokes fun at Donald Trump’s strategy

Jimmy Kimmel continued, “Oh, this was a much better debate than the last debate,” adding, “This is like ‘The Lion King’ when Simba came back to avenge Mufasa.”

Kimmel then poked fun at Trump’s pre-debate strategy, noting that Trump’s advisors had suggested he adopt a ‘happy Trump’ persona rather than his usual ‘mean, bully Trump', and focus on the issues. “Of course he didn’t listen to any of that at all. But who are we kidding? This election isn’t about the issues,” Kimmel said. “I mean, Dick Cheney isn’t voting for Kamala Harris because he agrees with her on the issues. He’s voting for her because there’s a rhinoceros charging, and she has the tranquilizer gun.”

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - AUGUST 19: Democratic vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA
Jimmy Kimmel called out Donald Trump for deliberately mispronouncing Kamal Harris's name (Getty Images)

The host also highlighted some of Trump’s odd behaviors before the debate and criticized the falsehoods spread by Republicans, including Trump and his running mate JD Vance.

One notable falsehood was the claim about Haitian immigrants allegedly eating pets in Ohio, a rumor that Kimmel debunked. “The city of Springfield, in [JD Vance’s] state, Ohio, says there have been no credible reports of Haitians eating pets. But JD Vance, who wants to be vice president of the United States, keeps bringing it up,” Kimmel continued.

Jimmy Kimmel jokes about JD Vance’s spread of misinformation

Jimmy Kimmel then humorously added, “Oh, he’s [JD Vance] getting calls. I didn’t know he was getting calls, now it makes sense. I guess all you have to do to get JD Vance to start spreading crazy things around — is make calls.”

CINCINNATI, OH - MAY 3:  Republican U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance arrives onstage after winning t
Jimmy Kimmel joked about JD Vance’s spread of misinformation, humorously warning against calling his office with ridiculous claims (Getty image)

Kimmel then displayed the phone number (202) 224-3353 onscreen. “This, by the way, is the direct line to his office. Whatever you do, do not call that number to tell JD Vance that rainbow sprinkles at Baskin Robbins turned your kids gay, OK. Please, do not distract the senator with this kind of silliness,” he advised.

Kimmel also took aim at Trump’s claims about Haitian immigrants during the debate. “Here’s what I’d like you to do right now. I want you to close your eyes. I want you to imagine we’d never heard of Donald Trump before, and the first time you ever seen him was during tonight’s debate. What would your reaction be right now? You’d be in shock. The Republican party would have to close their headquarters and turn them into a Spirit Halloween store,” Kimmel said.

Jimmy Kimmel mocks Donald Trump’s missteps and mispronunciations

Jimmy Kimmel further mocked Donald Trump’s assertion that “people on television” prove the racist lie about Haitian immigrants is true and added commentary about how he also deliberately mispronounces Kamala Harris’ name. He also noted how Trump reacted when Project 2025 was mentioned during the debate.



 

“Oh, what a mess. Oh, what a job he did tonight,” Kimmel said as he concluded the segment. “Joe Biden is going to be so happy when he wakes up tomorrow and watches this.”

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Ilhan Omar asked the Department of Homeland Security to explain why an ICE agent was outside her town hall, raising surveillance concerns
40 minutes ago
Trump signed the order in March, seeking to create a federal voter list and give the Postal Service a direct role in election operations
1 hour ago
Trump addressed why reporters aboard the flight from Turkey to the UK were instructed to keep their window shades down as questions mounted over his secret aircraft switch
1 hour ago
The remarks extend a pattern of Trump seeking greater federal authority over elections
2 hours ago
Darline Graham said she is not being handed Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat and must earn voters’ support ahead of the Republican runoff
3 hours ago
The Trump admin cited limited evidence for pediatric gender-affirming care and projected $235 million in Medicaid and CHIP savings over 10 years
4 hours ago
Abdul El-Sayed's November race against Mike Rogers is expected to be among the nation's most competitive and could decide Senate control
7 hours ago
The ACLU asked a federal court to block Trump's revised birthright citizenship order, arguing it creates new exceptions beyond Supreme Court limits
8 hours ago
'We could just keep it alone, and they're going to fail. We could just keep... nice and easy, relaxed', President Trump said
9 hours ago
Jeanine Pirro dropped the case against former Olympian David Hearn after documents showed the damage stemmed from a flawed installation, not vandalism
10 hours ago