Jimmy Kimmel ‘shocked’ at Trump vote total: ‘I overestimated the American people’

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel said he was “shocked” at the amount of support President Trump received on Election Day, with the late-night host and staunch Trump critic saying he feels like he “overestimated the American people.”

“It is unimaginable to me that close to half of American voters saw what this man has done to this country over the last four years [and supported him],” Kimmel said in his opening monologue on Wednesday night.

“He Kowtowed to Vladimir Putin. He cozied up to Kim Jong Un. He alienated us from our allies. He put children in cages. He villainized the press, hid his tax returns. He tear-gassed peaceful protestors. He pardoned his criminal buddies. He extorted Ukraine. He misled us about COVID. He dismantled the Pandemic Response Team. He dismantled healthcare,” he added.

“He is a liar and a cheat who wants them to stop counting thousands of legitimate votes—and almost half us are apparently OK with that,” Kimmel later concluded. “Half of us want it to keep going for four more years.”

Trump has so far received more than 68 million votes in this year’s election, the most for any Republican presidential candidate in history, eclipsing the nearly 63 million he received in 2016.

George W. Bush had received the most for any GOP candidate prior to Trump, amassing just over 62 million.

Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Joe Biden has received the most votes of any presidential candidate in history with 72.7 million counted so far, topping Barack Obama’s more than 69 million in 2008.

Biden appeared favored in Tuesday’s election as officials in a number of states continued counting votes days after Election Day. Trump’s campaign has lodged complaints in several states as his electoral path has narrowed.