Trump confuses Jimmy Kimmel for Al Pacino in Truth Social rant, says 'it was a classic choke' while presenting best picture Oscar

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: Before heading to criminal court in Manhattan for the third consecutive day, former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to criticize his longtime adversary Jimmy Kimmel — though in the convoluted tirade, he mistakenly identified him as Al Pacino.

Pacino had presented the Best Picture Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, which Kimmel had hosted, seemingly leading to Trump's confusion.

Donald Trump blasts Jimmy Kimmel in Truth Social rant

On his personal Truth Social account, Trump launched into another diatribe against the late-night host on the morning of April 17, citing Kimmel's role as host of the annual film awards on March 10.

Before his court appearance in Downtown Manhattan, Trump wrote, “Stupid Jimmy Kimmel, who still hasn’t recovered from his horrendous performance and significant ratings drop as Host of The Academy Awards, particularly when he displayed symptoms of TDS, commonly known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, to the entire World by reading my TRUTH about how poorly he was performing that night, just before he stumbled through announcing the biggest award of all, ‘Picture of the Year"'. 

Continuing his confusion between Kimmel and Pacino, Trump went on to say, “It was a CLASSIC CHOKE, one of the biggest ever in show business, and to top it off, he forgot to say the famous and mandatory line, ‘AND THE WINNER IS.’ Instead, he stammered around as he opened the envelope". 

“Supposedly his wife, and even management, begged him not to do it, ‘DON’T READ HIS TRUTH, JIMMY, PLEASE DON’T DO THIS,’ they said. He was made to look like a FOOL, which he is, and at the same time go down in Television History as the WORST HOST EVER OF THE ONCE VAUNTED ACADEMY AWARDS!” Trump’s post concluded.

The message, which had been viewed by 16,500 users by the time of publication on April 17, referenced critically acclaimed Kimmel’s hosting duties at The Oscars, which hit a four-year viewership high with 19.5 million viewers.

Al Pacino's Oscars mishap clarified

During the show, Kimmel even teased Trump by reading the former president’s critical review towards the end.

Reading from his phone, Kimmel said, “I just got a review … ‘Has there ever been a worse host than Jimmy Kimmel at the Oscars … Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed-up, but cheap, ABC ‘talent,’ George Stephanopoulos.’”

Kimmel wrapped up with a witty remark, “Well, thank you, President Trump, thank you for watching. I’m surprised you’re still up, isn’t it past your jail time?”

However, in his Truth Social post made on April 17, Trump mistakenly conflated Kimmel with the presenter of the final award, when it was Pacino who came forward with an awkward delivery of the Best Picture Oscar.

Pacino chose not to name the nominees before declaring “Oppenheimer” the winner.

During the telecast, Pacino announced, “Ten wonderful films were nominated, but only one will take the award for Best Picture. I have to go to the envelope for that, and I will. Here it comes. And my eyes see: ‘Oppenheimer.’”

Pacino later clarified that since clips of all the Best Picture nominees had played throughout the ceremony, producers had instructed him not to revisit them in his introduction.

Meanwhile, Trump may have been more agitated that the main takeaway from the first day of his criminal hush money trial on April 15 was the report that he had apparently fallen asleep in the courtroom.