Jimmy Kimmel says US election is ‘closer than Donald and Ivanka at a father-daughter dance’

Comedian and TV host warns incumbent president will not go easily in the event of a Joe Biden victory

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has been entertaining his fans with some commentary on the US election, as the battle between Donald Trump and Joe Biden continues to rage.

On Twitter, Kimmel joked that the race between Trump and Biden is “closer than Donald and Ivanka at a father-daughter dance”, referencing Trump’s bizarre behaviour towards his daughter, which many critics have called inappropriate.

On his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the TV host said the past 24 hours had been a “pollercoaster of emotions and nausea”.

“I thought if your election lasted more than 48 hours you were supposed to seek medical attention,” he joked.

Clarifying that nothing is official, Kimmel said that signs point to Biden winning with the electoral college.

“Everyone seems to know it – everyone except for Donald Trump,” he said, referencing Trump’s furious demands that votes be recounted in states where he lost by a narrow margin.

Kimmel later said that he was relieved that it looks as if “we’re finally sending this monster back to Mar-A-Lago”, but was shocked at how close the race has been.

Noting that close to half of Americans who voted still support Trump after four years with him in the White House, Kimmel listed the incumbent president’s failings including “cosying up to Kim Jong-un, putting children in cages, villainising the press… and calling neo-Nazis ‘very fine people’.”

He called Trump a “cheat” who wanted to stop counting thousands of legitimate votes: “And almost half of us are apparently OK with that.”

Kimmel also warned – as many political commentators have – that Trump is likely to make things as difficult as possible should Biden win the election, “because he can’t admit that he’s a loser”.

Back on social media, Detroit rapper Eminem has been trending as fans joke his last-second endorsement of Joe Biden helped turn Michigan into a blue state.

Eminem’s frequent collaborator Rihanna tweeted urging Americans to be patient while the remaining votes are counted.

Follow the latest election news here, and see a full list of celebrities who support Biden or Trump here.