Jimmy Kimmel spent Thursday night riffing on two stories tailor-made for late-night comedy: President Trump’s lowest-ever approval rating in one major tracking poll and a Treasury Department push to put the president’s face on a $250 bill.
A weekly Economist/YouGov survey found Mr. Trump’s approval at 34% with 59% disapproving — the lowest level recorded in that tracking series across both of his presidential terms. The poll was conducted May 22–26 among 1,520 U.S. adult citizens.
Mr. Kimmel wasted little time. “He is now down to 34%,” the host said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” “He has the same approval rating as ’Paul Blart: Mall Cop.’ The Blart of the Deal.”
The host also claimed that Mr. Trump is trailing Vice President J.D. Vance by 2 points in the same poll.
“Not only is Trump at his lowest point, he’s also two points behind J.D. Vance,” Mr. Kimmel said. “I don’t have a joke for that. I just want to make sure he knows, he’s two points behind J.D. Vance.”
Mr. Kimmel also mocked the White House’s response to the numbers. A spokesman cited Mr. Trump’s November 2024 victory as the only poll that mattered — a line Mr. Kimmel dispatched with: “OK, yeah. But now it’s May of 2026, and everybody hates him, so.”
The second target of the evening was the Treasury Department’s proposal to feature Mr. Trump on a new denomination of paper currency. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed Wednesday that his department has designed a $250 commemorative bill bearing Mr. Trump’s portrait and signature, though the note cannot be issued without an act of Congress. Federal law currently prohibits living individuals from appearing on U.S. currency. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing said it is “conducting appropriate planning and due diligence” and would move forward with production only should Congress pass authorizing legislation — which, if enacted, would mark the first time a living person has appeared on U.S. paper currency in more than 150 years.
Mr. Kimmel offered his own assessment: “There he is, the least-popular bill since Cosby.” He added: “What better way to pay for a single tank of gas than with a bill featuring the head of the man who made it cost that much?”
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