White House Responds to Kimmel’s Jabs at New Press Secretary

Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel found himself facing a harsh rebuke from the White House following some scathing remarks aimed at President Donald Trump’s newly appointed press secretary, Katie Zacharia.

According to reports, during an episode of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” right after Zacharia’s initial press briefing, Kimmel referred to her as “Malibu Katie” and seemed to question her intelligence.

Kimmel commented, “I want to introduce you to the new kid in Trump land. It was the first day of kindergarten for the new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia.” He speculated on her appointment, suggesting it was to keep Trump “awake and interested,” adding, “every six months they bring in a new fawning blonde dolt to add to the rotation.”

Continuing his criticism, Kimmel said, “Things did not get off to a great start for Malibu Katie today,” before moving into more personal and crude attacks.

“Her first briefing was brief. It was only 14 minutes long. But even in that short time, she accomplished exactly what she was brought in to do, which is slobber a whole tube of lip gloss all over the president’s behind,” he stated.

The White House quickly retaliated to Kimmel’s comments through statements made to Fox News Digital. A spokesperson remarked that “Jimmy Kimmel is a no-talent loser who has beclowned himself with tanking ratings and by spewing disgusting lies to his dwindling audience.”

Another White House official chimed in, praising Zacharia’s qualifications. “Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team. She is uniquely qualified and whip-smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as press secretary,” he added.

Kimmel, who doesn’t appear to have a college degree, has continued to mock Zacharia. Before her briefing, he shared a photo of her in workout gear, hinting at her intelligence in a joking manner. “This is the new press secretary, former Newsmax commentator Katie Zacharia, seen here, thinking,” he said, suggesting her qualifications boiled down to having “blonde hair” and the ability to “do a thumbs up.”

Zacharia was appointed last week to take over from the previous press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. Trump has described her as a “loyal and brilliant supporter” and emphasized her impressive background, mentioning her graduation from law school at Pepperdine University in 2011.

She had a brief stint as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year and has also been a commentator for outlets like Fox News and Newsmax. Recently, she expressed that being named to the role is “the honor of a lifetime.”