Jimmy Kimmel insisted earlier this week that there was “no riot” in Los Angeles, and claimed President Donald Trump was “mentally ill” for deploying troops to quell anti-ICE protests.
“You won’t see this elsewhere on television. Not only is it not an apocalypse, they’re having a Disney/Pixar movie premiere for ‘Elio,’ a movie about aliens. Don’t tell Trump — he’ll send in the Green Berets, too,” Kimmel told his audience. “But I just want to say, thank God for President Trump and the heroes at ICE for protecting us from these bloodthirsty fruit stand vendors spreading their dangerous pineapple chunks and mangos with a squirt of lime all over the city.”
The comedian whined that illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the country because most of them haven’t committed any crimes beyond the first one: entering the country illegally.
“People who have lived here their whole lives, people who have been in this city longer than I have, the vast majority of whom have never done anything wrong, are being abducted, which is the correct word to use, by agents in masks, hiding their identities, grabbing people off the street and at work, sending people to detention centers,” he claimed.
Despite Kimmel’s assertions, there have been many videos circulating on social media documenting the violence in real time. This includes police vehicles being vandalized and set on fire, major roadways being shut down by angry mobs, small businesses being looted and burned, and other targeted attacks against law enforcement as residents protest the ICE raids.
Still, Kimmel said he supports the protests.
“Los Angelenos gathered to demonstrate and, with very few exceptions, peacefully demonstrate to voice their opposition to this disgusting and unnecessary abuse of power instigated by our mentally ill president, who is dead-set on exacerbating this, who actually wants conflict, who is intentionally inflaming and lying to make it seem like there’s a war going on,” Kimmel added.
“There’s no riot outside,” he added. “We have more so-called ‘unrest’ here when one of our teams wins a championship.”
Kimmel isn’t the only one in denial. Earlier in the week, California Democratic Rep. Nanette Díaz Barragán appeared on CNN to declare that the Los Angeles riots are “mostly peaceful” as footage of burning cars showed on the screen in the background.