--- title: Jimmy Kimmel Clip: Fake Trump Feud With Martin Luther King description: Jimmy Kimmel took to the streets to find out what people really thought about a fake feud between Donald Trump and Martin Luther King Jr. canonical: https://time.com/5104004/jimmy-kimmel-trump-martin-luther-king/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-16T15:05:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:46:06.414Z og:title: Jimmy Kimmel Told People in the Street That Trump is Feuding With Martin Luther King Jr. og:description: And they believed him og:url: https://time.com/5104004/jimmy-kimmel-trump-martin-luther-king/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85ec44bfaddd7edb/6988f85986f68e5b776e7e96/oakley.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1450 og:image:height: 816 og:image:alt: Oakley og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Jimmy Kimmel Told People in the Street That Trump is Feuding With Martin Luther King Jr. twitter:description: And they believed him twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85ec44bfaddd7edb/6988f85986f68e5b776e7e96/oakley.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Jimmy Kimmel Got People on the Street to Believe Donald Trump Has a 'Twitter War' With Martin Luther King Jr. > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=31f8d0e5-30bd-426a-b3b0-7a53129e4f46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=31f8d0e5-30bd-426a-b3b0-7a53129e4f46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=31f8d0e5-30bd-426a-b3b0-7a53129e4f46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=31f8d0e5-30bd-426a-b3b0-7a53129e4f46&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: What King Said [Watch (HLS stream): What King Said](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/97BZp3hS.m3u8) (6:11)  _Published 2013-08-13. The night before the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr.’s advisers offered their opinions on what message he should deliver. But he went his own way._ by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Jan 16, 2018 3:05 PM UTC by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Jan 16, 2018 3:05 PM UTC To recognize President Donald Trump’s first [Martin Luther King Jr. Day](http://time.com/5103600/mlk-day-martin-luther-king-jr-president-trump/) in office, [Jimmy Kimmel](http://time.com/4949096/jimmy-kimmel-health-care-obamacare/) got a bunch of people on the street to believe the civil rights leader, who was assassinated in 1968, was feuding with the president. “We asked people, ‘Whose side are you on in the Donald Trump-Dr. King Twitter war?” Kimmel explained on Monday night’s episode of _Jimmy Kimmel Live!_, introducing that night’s edition of Kimmel’s “[Lie Witness News](http://time.com/4893267/jimmy-kimmel-where-is-north-korea/)” segment. Kimmel then aired a clip of his crew asking people on the street to pick a side in the totally nonexistent fight. The fact that King has been dead for half a century did not stop many interviewees from going along with the false premise. The results were cringe-worthy. One person agreed that it was fine for Dr. King to skip Trump’s inauguration while another totally bought that Trump declared his dreams far superior to Martin Luther King Jr.’s — because in the president’s, he can fly. One interview subject agreed that the feud could be traced back to the fateful _Celebrity Apprentice_ episode when Poison frontman Bret Michaels sold frozen yogurt much better than King. Watch the full clip below. ## Transcript >> I grew up hearing Dr. King. There was something about his voice, maybe about his appeal. >> Dr. King had collected a lot of social themes, and couplets, and words, and language. And he brought all the best of those years of speaking together in one gloriously magnificent knowing. >> I have a dream-- >> When he spoke that day on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he was preaching from his heart, from his soul, from his guts. >> As the day of the march drew near, I stayed at the Willard Hotel where Dr. King was staying. Now, among his advisers, there were those who were suggesting, " Martin, people are coming to the march in Washington because they're coming to hear you preach and there were others "-- And he said, " No, Dr. King, we have to give the kind of political direction that treats us to where we are. I was part of that group. And he was being very gracious. He said, " Well, thank you so much, but I'm gonna go up and work in speech and counsel with the Lord ." >> At the day of the speech, I'm standing on the platform about 50 feet behind him. >> I had no credentials, but I kind of crawled up the steps and backed my way in. >> Everybody was curious as to what this young man is going to say. As you would expect, We have large crowd like that. people had their own mini conversations going on, you know. >> But when Dr. King got up, it got quiet. I mean, it was like they were at church. [ unk ] A. Philip Randolph in this enormous voice. >> I have the pleasure to present to you, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. >> I couldn't get to him to wink my eye or to say to him like come on, come on, you can do it, you can do it. >> And after a couple of perfunctory introductory senses, I'm listening to his-- >> Five score years ago-- >> I concentrated on his words and what he was saying. As I'm listening, I see that he is reading. I had written out in longhand a possible opening paragraph. >> America has given the Negro people a bad check. >> And I did notice at a certain point he starts off reading. And at a certain moment, Mahalia Jackson, it erupted to him while he's speaking. Tell them about the dream, Martin. Tell them about the dream. His whole body language changed and he changed to what I call the baptist preacher's stance. And I said to the person standing next to me, whoever that was, I said, " These people don't know it, but they're about ready to go to church ." >> I have a dream that one day-- >> Yes! >> this nation will rise up. >> Like the greatest jazz musician, he just does an incredible solo. It was as if some transcendental terrestrial force had come down and taken over his body. >> I didn't know that Dr. King had left a script, but that's what was in there. >> And you stood in wonder as he spoke, as his words came out. >> My 4 little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream today-- >> When-- In his talking and my mind wandering back to what I had been through and when he started talking about his children, you know, I felt like, wow, he's talking about me. >> You know it by then Dr. King is a musician. And if he was reciting a telephone book, the rhythms and transition to phrasing, you know, would be-- would bring you to an emotional acceptance. >> And once in southwest Georgia, he heard people signing a song about over my head I can see freedom in the air. And I think all of it just saw the King together. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation. >> We live in realities lots of times and somebody talks about the dream, you know, you get a certain image, but the image that he gave was a future. And it wasn't beyond our reality to think that certain things could happen. >> We were looking for leadership and he was offering it. The I have a Dream speech was a summon, a call to the collective conscience of America that we can be better than this. >> Free at last! >> Yes. >> Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last! ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5104004/jimmy-kimmel-trump-martin-luther-king/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5104004/jimmy-kimmel-trump-martin-luther-king/"},"headline":"Jimmy Kimmel Got People on the Street to Believe Donald Trump Has a 'Twitter War' With Martin Luther King Jr.","datePublished":"2018-01-16T15:05:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-12T08:46:06.414Z","description":"The results are cringe-worthy","url":"https://time.com/5104004/jimmy-kimmel-trump-martin-luther-king/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Jimmy Kimmel","martin luther king jr","Late Night Television","trump"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85ec44bfaddd7edb/6988f85986f68e5b776e7e96/oakley.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ashley Hoffman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt85ec44bfaddd7edb/6988f85986f68e5b776e7e96/oakley.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Oakley","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5104004/jimmy-kimmel-trump-martin-luther-king/","name":"Jimmy Kimmel Got People on the Street to Believe Donald Trump Has a 'Twitter War' With Martin Luther King Jr."}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"What King Said","description":"The night before the March on Washington, Martin Luther King Jr.’s advisers offered their opinions on what message he should deliver. But he went his own way.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/97BZp3hS/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2013-08-13T14:32:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/97BZp3hS.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5104004/jimmy-kimmel-trump-martin-luther-king/","duration":"PT6M11S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5104004/jimmy-kimmel-trump-martin-luther-king/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```