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Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel claimed Thursday that President Donald Trump\u2019s criticism of him is an attempt to distract from what he called the \u201cTrump-Epstein files\u201d and the \u201cillegal war he started\u201d in Iran.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He can\u2019t imagine it just might have something to do with the tasteless joke he told about Trump\u2019s wife, Melania, having \u201ca glow like an expectant widow,\u201d delivered days before an attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner.<\/span><\/p>\n Kimmel dismissed the backlash during his monologue, once again turning his focus on the president.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf incompetently presiding over not just one of but the lowest ratings in history is why I should be fired, we should both be out of a job,\u201d Kimmel said, referencing reports of the president having low approval ratings.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t there a war dragging on?\u201d the comedian continued, lamenting that the president was speaking about any other topics. \u201cImagine if FDR had taken to the airwaves during the Battle of the Bulge to complain about a Little Orphan Annie comic strip he didn\u2019t like? Trump has three wars going on right now: Iranians, Ukrainians, and comedians.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The back-and-forth between Kimmel and conservatives has intensified since the assassination attempt last weekend.\u00a0<\/span>Critics have suggested that similar remarks targeting a Democratic president and first lady would have drawn significantly stronger backlash.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First lady Melania Trump did not mince words in a scathing X post she shared Monday morning.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cKimmel\u2019s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country,\u201d she wrote. \u201cHis monologue about my family isn\u2019t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn\u2019t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cA coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough.\u00a0 It is time for ABC to take a stand,\u201d the first lady added. \u201cHow many times will ABC\u2019s leadership enable Kimmel\u2019s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n