Donald and Melania Trump and the White House have attacked late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel, demanding he be sacked over a controversial joke about the First Lady.
The backlash comes days after a scare at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, when an armed man attempted to breach the Washington Hilton, prompting panic inside the venue and a major security response.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Alleged White House Correspondents’ dinner gunman faces court
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
At the centre of the backlash is a joke Trump and his allies say reflects increasingly dangerous political rhetoric.
During a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel staged a parody of the dinner and joked: “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.”
Melania slammed the remark, accusing the comedian of promoting division and “hateful and violent rhetoric”.
“His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” she wrote in a post to X.
“People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.
“A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.
“Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community?”
Trump escalated the attack, directly calling on the network to terminate the host.
“Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC,” he wrote on Truth Social.
He described the joke as a “despicable call to violence”.
“Jimmy Kimmel, who is in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings, made a statement on his Show that is really shocking. He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren’t, and never would be,” he said.
“I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale.”
Jimmy Kimmel Live! averages around 2.1 million viewers per episode, according to recent US TV data, making it the 13th most-watched program on ABC and 54th overall on US television.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the rhetoric being used against Trump in the media was “indistinguishable” from that of the alleged attacker’s manifesto, warning there was “no difference at all”.
“This kind of rhetoric about the president, the first lady and his supporters is completely deranged,” she said.
“The deranged lies and smears against the president, his family, his supporters have led crazy people to believe crazy things, and they are inspired to commit violence.”
She called for the rhetoric against Trump to be “toned down” as it is “inspiring these crazy people across the country to target not just the president but those who work for him and those who support him”.
The suspect in the incident has been identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen. He has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president and multiple firearms offences.
Prosecutors allege he was carrying a shotgun, a semi-automatic pistol and knives when he tried to enter the venue.
While the attacker did not reach the ballroom, the incident triggered panic among guests and prompted a heavy security response.
