President Barack Obama and Democratic politicians on Tuesday praised late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel’s emotional monologue about his son’s heart surgery and plea for health care access in the United States.
“Well said, Jimmy,” Obama wrote on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. “That’s exactly why we fought so hard for the (Affordable Care Act), and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy. And congratulations!”
The former president’s tweet came as Republican leaders continue to try and push an Obamacare repeal and replace bill through the House.
“Watch and prepare to tear up,” Hillary Clinton tweeted Tuesday morning. “Thanks Jimmy Kimmel for sharing your story and reminding us what’s at stake with health care.”
“Incredibly moving story from @jimmykimmel that shows the true stakes of health policy. So much bigger than politics,” Connecticut Rep. Elizabeth Etsy wrote.
“MORNING READ: An emotional Jimmy Kimmel discusses newborn son’s heart disease, makes passionate health-care plea,” wrote Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the minority whip.
Other Democrats, including Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, also weighed in.
During Kimmel’s emotional monologue, the host opened up about his son’s battle with a heart defect. He defended the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and encouraged viewers to put aside their political differences to hold politicians accountable for health care issues.
Kimmel also praised Congress for deciding to “not go along with” President Donald Trump’s proposed $6 billion budget cut to the National Institutes of Health.
“They actually increased funding by $2 billion and I applaud them for doing that,” Kimmel said during his monologue.
“If your baby is going to die and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make. I think that’s something that, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right?”
This is not the first time Kimmel has gotten political. As host of the 2017 Oscars, the late night personality didn’t shy away from taking jabs at Trump in his opening monologue.
During the telecast, he also made a plea to viewers to unite by reaching out to people they disagree with and have positive, productive conversations.
“If you do that, we can all make America great again,” he said during the Oscars. “It starts with us.”
