Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked President Donald Trump's approval rating during a Thursday night broadcast of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" [1].
The segment highlights the ongoing tension between the U.S. president and late-night comedy, using new polling data to lampoon the administration's current standing with the public.
Kimmel cited a YouGov/The Economist poll [1] that placed the president's approval rating at 34 percent [1]. During the monologue, Kimmel compared this figure to the popularity of a specific film. "He has the same approval rating as ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop,’" Kimmel said [1].
The host continued his critique of the numbers with further commentary on the president's standing. "Trump’s approval numbers, like his testicles, have sunk to an all‑time low," Kimmel said [2].
Kimmel has frequently used his platform to provide political commentary on the president. The Thursday night broadcast used the specific data from the YouGov/The Economist poll to drive viewership and target the administration's record, a common theme for the Los Angeles-based show.
“"He has the same approval rating as ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop.’"”
The use of a 34 percent approval rating from a YouGov/The Economist poll serves as a catalyst for late-night satire, reflecting a broader trend where entertainment figures leverage quantitative political data to critique the executive branch. By framing a political metric through a pop-culture comparison, the program translates complex polling data into a digestible, comedic narrative for a mass audience.
