Jimmy Kimmel Torches Trump Family Crypto Scandal on Air as Pope Rejects White House Invitation

LOS ANGELES — Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel delivered one of his sharpest monologues in years, dismantling what he called “the biggest corruption scandal in American presidential history” involving Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump’s cryptocurrency venture World Liberty Financial. The segment, which aired amid escalating fallout from the deal, accused the Trump sons of accepting a $500 million payment from an Abu Dhabi royal — $187 million of which flowed directly into Trump family accounts — just days before their father’s second inauguration.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the transaction: four days before Trump took office on January 20, 2025, associates of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan — dubbed the “spy sheikh” for his intelligence ties — secretly acquired a 49 percent stake in World Liberty Financial. Within weeks, the Trump administration approved the export of 500,000 advanced Nvidia AI chips to the United Arab Emirates, technology the Biden administration had previously blocked over national security concerns.

Kimmel framed the sequence as textbook corruption. “They took the money, then Dad approved the chips,” he told viewers, playing clips of Don Jr. and Eric Trump deflecting questions on CNBC. When anchor Sara Eisen pressed them on the appearance of a bribe, Don Jr. responded: “They created this monster. They didn’t give us much of a choice.” Eric appeared visibly uncomfortable; Kimmel quipped the brothers were “blaming everyone else for forcing them into corruption.”

Ethics experts quoted in the Journal called the arrangement a potential violation of the Constitution’s foreign emoluments clause. Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb described it as tainting American foreign policy: “You don’t do business deals with families of foreign leaders.” Kathleen Clark, a longtime ethics scholar, labeled it “a bribe on a breathtaking level.”

Kimmel’s monologue also revisited years of needling Don Jr., from mocking his wardrobe (“the dumbest crayon in the box”) to highlighting his social-media meltdowns. The host suggested the crypto windfall was Don Jr.’s latest bid for paternal approval from a father who has long favored other siblings. “Everything he does is desperate attempts to win love from a dad who calls him a good boy like he’s a golden retriever,” Kimmel said.

The segment arrived as Pope Leo XIV publicly rebuffed an invitation to attend America’s 250th anniversary celebrations on July 4, 2026. Vatican sources confirmed the pontiff rejected the request in person when Vice President JD Vance delivered it earlier this year. Leo XIV instead plans to spend the holiday on Lampedusa, the Italian island long synonymous with Mediterranean migration, signaling solidarity with displaced people.

The pope’s decision follows months of friction with the Trump administration. Reports indicate the White House had sought Vatican participation in a proposed “Board of Peace” initiative — dismissed by Leo XIV as a “colonialist operation.” The pontiff has also criticized U.S. policies at migrant detention centers, including an Ash Wednesday standoff in Chicago where a federal judge ordered access for clergy after initial restrictions.

Kimmel tied the Vatican snub to broader moral resistance against what he called Trump’s “despicable regime.” He noted Leo XIV’s Lampedusa visit would underscore a message of shared humanity — “one world and one people” — in stark contrast to administration rhetoric.

Trump allies pushed back. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr suggested networks like ABC, Kimmel’s home, should face scrutiny for serving the “public interest,” though he insisted no formal pressure had been applied. White House officials maintained the crypto deal was private business and that chip exports followed standard national-security reviews.

The episode highlighted deepening cultural and institutional rifts. Kimmel’s audience cheered as he closed by urging viewers to support independent journalism “between transparency and tyranny.” For the Trump family, already battered by legal and political headwinds, the late-night takedown served as a reminder that the spotlight — and the satire — shows no sign of dimming.