The latest round in the rhetorical fight between Jimmy Kimmel, 57, and Donald Trump, 79, sees the late-night television host claiming a win.
A new YouGov opinion poll shows Kimmel edging out Trump in favorability, but the numbers leave plenty of room for debate. Fans of both figures are already taking to social media to parse what these numbers suggest, while late-night ratings and public appearances continue to sway perceptions in unpredictable way.
Kimmel has a 44 percent approval rating among Americans, compared to the 41 percent of respondents who had a favorable opinion of Trump. The president’s disapproval currently stands at 54 percent, while just 41 percent of respondents view Kimmel unfavorably.
On the Oct. 6-dated episode of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Kimmel took a victory lap for being more revered by the American public than the sitting, two-term president.
“According to a new poll from YouGov, which is a serious polling site, or they were before this, I am more popular than the president of the United States,” Kimmel told a cheering audience.
He continued, “You remember the guy who keeps saying I have no ratings? Well, that makes two of us. They polled more than 1,000 people, and I lead Trump by 16 points. I’m at plus three. He’s at minus 13.”
The president had set his sights on getting Kimmel’s program canceled over the comedian making a joke about his apathetic response to the passing of a controversial activist.
In the wake of Kimmel’s comments, Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr blatantly threatened to revoke ABC affiliate licenses as retaliation.
ABC network, which is a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, seemingly acquiesced to the Trump administration and briefly pulled Kimmel off the air from Sept. 17 through Sept. 22.
ABC eventually reinstated Kimmel on Sept. 23 following widespread boycotts of Disney-owned platforms such as Disney+ and Hulu streaming services.
Kimmel celebrated his return to television by trolling Trump in his comeback monologue on Sept. 24. The polling results provided another opportunity for the Brooklyn-bred entertainer to taunt his adversary.
A Trump representative addressed the news that the president’s current approval rating is lower than Kimmel’s. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly issued a statement to Newsweek.
“Over 77 million Americans showed up on Election Day to cast their ballots for President Donald J. Trump, who is delivering on his overwhelming mandate to put America First,” Kelly stated.
The spokeswoman resumed, “Jimmy Kimmel prays every night to garner a fraction of that support to keep his show on air after ratings dropped 64 percent last week. Sad!”
Kimmel reacted to the White House’s response during his opening remarks on Monday’s episode, hinting that Trump was pissed about the polling.
“You know what else is sad? That the president of the United States has a lower approval rating than Diddy and diarrhea. That’s what’s sad,” Kimmel fired back at Kelly.
He believes his rating should be much “higher” than Trump, while taking jabs at Trump’s involvement with adult film star Stormy Daniels.
“At this point, finding a toenail in your salad has a seven-point lead over Donald Trump. And really, I hope he doesn’t see this. I hate to, you know, I don’t like to upset him,” he stated.
Kimmel’s fans joined in on ridiculing Trump and his diehard backers. One YouTube user commented, “What a joke of a President we have. Thanks, Jimmy and team, for staying on point.”
Jimmy Kimmel on trump military meeting pic.twitter.com/OQSmxf4HO2
— Mogumogu (@mogutweet) October 2, 2025
A second posted, “Thank you, JIMMY!!! Grateful for your INSANE work against the REGIME!!! You are the ROCK!!!! AND YES!!! You are so much more popular than the felon!!!”
“What is sad is that the President of the U.S. is more concerned about a well-liked late-night host than he is about running his country,” argued a third commenter.
One person added, “I like how Trump’s attempt to cancel him only made him more popular.” Plus, someone declared, “Jimmy, you are not only more popular, but you are definitely more intelligent!”
