Jimmy Kimmel has attacked Mitch McConnell for refusing to vote to convict Donald Trump, despite insulting the former president.
The Senate minority leader was among the Republicans to vote to acquit Trump on Saturday (13 February), but later gave a speech criticising him, saying that the former president was “practically and morally responsible” for the Capitol riots.
In a statement of response, Trump branded McConnell a “dour, sullen and unsmiling political hack”, which was the cause of much amusement for Kimmel as he hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday (16 February).
“Unsmiling,” he laughed. “Has Donald Trump met his wife? Melania hasn’t smiled since like 2011.”
While many critics were confused by McConnell’s contradictory actions, Kimmel said that McConnell had “blown” his opportunity to stop Trump from running in the future.
“You remember the end of Lord of the Rings, when Frodo brought the ring all the way to the volcano and then decided to not throw it in? This was like a dumb version of that.”
Elsewhere in the monologue, the late-night host also mocked Trump’s defence lawyer Bruce Castor after he appeared on Fox News.
“It’s really an accomplishment to be Donald Trump’s worst lawyer, when his last lawyer got caught playing salami karate with Borat’s daughter,” he joked, referring to Rudy Giuliani’s appearance alongside Maria Bakalova in the 2019 Borat sequel.
The US Senate voted 57-43 to convict Trump, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to secure a conviction. Seven Republicans voted to convict, including Mitt Romney.
