Jimmy Kimmel Says Trump’s Mistake Was Picking Matt Gaetz Too Soon: ‘First, You Nominate Diddy’

Matt Gaetz’s tenure as Donald Trump’s nominee for Attorney General lasted just 8 days. It was derailed by the numerous investigations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use against him, most recently a second accusation that he had sex with a 17-year-old in 2017, when he was 35. And so it is he withdrew on Thursday.

But on Thursday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Kimmel identified a different problem that perhaps Trump could have avoided. The incoming president — reminder, a convicted felon who literally attempted to overthrow the government after losing the 2020 election — did things “in the wrong order.”

“First, you nominate Diddy for Attorney General,” Kimmel joked.

To catch you up, Gaetz — who to be clear consistently denies any wrongdoing — withdrew as the nominee on Thursday. The former congressman’s withdrawal came after the New York Times reported damning details that federal investigators (who inexplicably didn’t indict him) discovered while investigating him. There has also been a growing outcry over congressional Republicans’ attempts to cover up a long in-development ethics report.

“So, Matt Gaetz will not be our next Attorney General. He said he decided to take his MAGA hat out of the ring, because his nomination was “becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Kimmel explained during his monologue.

“Which is true. President-elect Trump should not be distracted from his critical work of creating other distractions all the time. And what ‘critical work’ is he referring to? Watching UFC fights with Kid Rock? Or touring SpaceX with Elon Musk like it’s ‘bring your fat kid to workday?’” Kimmel continued.

“Gaetz said he was honored that Trump nominated him, and he looks forward to spending more time posing as a high school senior on the Roblox reddit page,” Kimmel added. “Now the reason Gaetz appears to have bailed suddenly is because more damning accusations were about to come out. The House Ethics Committee was reportedly informed about a second incident involving the 17-year-old who says she had a paid sexual encounter with Gaetz.”

Kimmel explained also how Republicans, including evangelical Christian Mike Johnson, applauded his nomination for Attorney General despite these horrific accusations.

Then he diagnosed the problem. “See, the thing is, Trump did this wrong. He did it in the wrong order. First, you nominate Diddy for Attorney General, then Matt Gaetz.”

The idea being that Diddy would be disqualified for, well, you know, and then by comparison Gaetz would look spotless.

This Gaetz situation is a setback for Trump, but it’ll all be forgotten, as soon as he nominates new Surgeon General, Doctor Heathcliff Huxtable,” Kimmel added, referencing Bill Cosby.

Watch the full monologue below: