President-elect Donald Trump ‘s earlier pick of attorney general, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, sparked controversy. While many of Trump’s cabinet picks have faced ridicule from both opposition leaders and members of his party, Gaetz emerged as the prime focus of criticism. Amid the backlash, Marjorie Taylor Greene stepped up in Gaetz’s defense. In light of the same, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel , during his Tuesday monologue, found himself unexpectedly supporting Greene, a figure he’s often clashed with.
As reported by The Daily Beast , Kimmel said, “Things are already nuts. If you want to know what the Republican Party is right now, this is a tweet from Marjorie Taylor Greene. I think this says it all. She’s defending Matt Gaetz…” Kimmel was referring to one of Greene’s recent posts on X (formerly Twitter). In it, Greene argued that if her fellow House members are pushing to make Gaetz’s ethics report public, they should also disclose the reports for every member of the House, calling for equal transparency across the board. She stressed, “If we’re going to dance, let’s all dance in the sunlight.”
In response, Kimmel said, “Great. Do that…Let the cheeseburgers fall where they may.” He added, “She’s specifically saying: If you reveal what an unfit, corrupt, sleazy dirtbag Matt Gaetz is, so help me God, I’ll let the voters know that you are too. OK, I agree with the bleached-blonde bad-built butch body. Put everything out there.” The comedian also poked fun at Trump’s other cabinet selections, including his decision to appoint talk-show host, Dr. Oz, to oversee Medicaid and Medicare, and former WWE CEO, Linda McMahon, to head the Department of Education. Kimmel joked, “What the WWF is going on here?”
For my Republican colleagues in the House and Senate, If we are going to release ethics reports and rip apart our own that Trump has appointed, then put it ALL out there for the American people to see. Yes.. all the ethics reports and claims including the one I filed all…
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) November 19, 2024
Apart from Kimmel, comedy hosts Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers also criticized Trump’s latest cabinet picks . One of the other unexpected choices was Fox News host Pete Hegseth being tapped for defense secretary. Colbert, declared Trump’s second term already more troubling than his first and expressed shock at the thought of Gaetz as attorney general, a sentiment shared widely, as reported by USA Today .
In one of his Closer Look segments, Meyers attacked Trump’s questionable choices, calling them a group of ‘goblins and weirdos.’ He continued to criticize the selections by offering a list of even more absurd individuals who might be appointed to the cabinet, like Cash Cab host, Ben Bailey, as secretary of transportation and The Simpsons ‘ Lionel Hutz as attorney general. However, the Late Night presenter changed the tone to one of seriousness and noted that the one thing that is quite evident from these appointments is that Trump is not displaying any signs of restraint or holding back in his second term . Given the backlash, Gaetz however, withdrew from the nomination and was replaced by Pam Bondi, a longtime ally of Trump.