September 22, 2017
Ready for round three? Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel refuses to back down to criticisms that he's not qualified to be addressing the GOP health care plan, tackling the subject for the third day in a row on ABC's "Live!"
Kimmel slammed the bill co-authored by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., as well as President Donald Trump, who supports the legislation, on Thursday night's episode.
“For Donald Trump, this isn’t about the Graham-Cassidy bill,” Kimmel said. “It’s about Obamacare, which he hates, because Obama’s name is on it. He likes to have his name on things: buildings, vodka, you name it. At this point, he would sign anything if it meant getting rid of Obamacare. He’d sign copies of the Quran at the Barnes & Noble in Fallujah if it meant he could get rid of Obamacare.”
The attack came after Kimmel called Cassidy a "liar" on Tuesday for appearing on an earlier episode of the show and promising not to back any legislation that would take away affordable health care to families or kids with pre-existing conditions – something Cassidy called passing the "Jimmy Kimmel test."
Kimmel has faced recent backlash from politicians, airing one from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who said he doesn't "think anybody would confuse him with a well-respected health care expert" during a TV interview.
The host responded to the criticism Thursday, questioning how he wasn't qualified to discuss a bill that Cassidy, a doctor, says he modeled after him.
“To them I say, all of these very reputable associations – American Diabetes Association, American Medical Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, the list goes on and on – all of these groups populated by doctors say this health care bill is bad, they’re against it," he said on the show. "We haven’t seen this many people come forward to speak out against a bill since Cosby.”
Kimmel began taking on the health care debate in May after opening his show with a powerful monologue about his newborn son's heart surgery. The host praised Obamacare for giving health care to so many who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford necessary medical attention.
Watch Kimmel take on the subject for the third night in a row below:
