2 weeks ago
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Talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel had tears shining in his eyes as he declared Donald Trump's win "a terrible night for everyone" - apart from the likes of "Vladimir Putin".
Trump had victoriously addressed the nation as he gave his victory speech to a crowd of supporters feverishly chanting his name at a venue in West Palm Beach, Florida. He defeated Democrat candidate Kamala Harris by a wider margin than had been expected, following polls that implied she had a one per cent lead on him.
Furious Kimmel, who took part in a skit showing himself packing his bags to leave the country, declared that the choice had been between a prosecutor - former District Attorney Harris - and a criminal. In a dramatic onstage showdown, he then accused the USA of "choosing the criminal".
Kimmel could scarcely contain his emotion as he ranted: "It was a terrible night for women, for children, for the hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants who make this country go, for health care, for our climate, for science, for journalism, for justice, for free speech. It was a terrible night for poor people, for the middle class, for seniors who rely on social security, for our allies in Ukraine, for NATO, for the truth, and democracy and decency.
Then in a final twist, he punctuated his points by adding: "It was a terrible night for everyone who voted against him. And guess what? It was a bad night for everyone who voted for him too - you just don't realise it yet."
Kimmel had earlier begun his speech by saying that, in spite of wracking his brains for 17 hours beforehand, he was so fired up by the news that he couldn't think of anything to say.
"More than half of this country voted for the criminal who’s planning to pardon himself for his crimes. I guess this election wasn’t rigged," he stormed.
He was referring to Trump's conviction on 34 charges relating to "hush money" he allegedly paid to an adult film star to conceal a past sexual encounter.
Voters were concerned by reports that he may have tried to manipulate the result of the 2016 election, which he won, by concealing his relationship with Stormy Daniels.
He was convicted after allegedly "falsifying business records" to disguise a £130,000 "hush money" payment.
"The people voted and this is the choice we made. In January, Donald Trump becomes President and that is sad, he won," stated Kimmel.
“It doesn’t mean we give up, but it also doesn’t mean we storm the Capitol because we don’t like the result.”
He added that Trump will not be eligible to run again for President in 2028 - but this will be his second term in the role following his earlier success in 2016.
English (US) ·