ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel previewed Sunday’s UFC fight at the White House on Thursday by recapping all of the renovations President Trump has done to the White House and surrounding area. After concluding with the reflecting pool makeover, Kimmel claimed that Abraham Lincoln is now thanking John Wilkes Booth that he does not have to see what is going on in front of his memorial.
Kimmel began with the UFC fight, “In preparation for the party, Trump has been renovating the White House and the neighborhood around it. This right now is the current state of our nation's capital. You can see, there it is, the awful tower, which now has a UFC octagon in front of it. It has eight sides, one for each year of our lives the president has ruined.”
Jimmy Kimmel goes over all of Trump's White House renovations plus the reflecting pool and concludes, "the brand-new $14 million reflecting pool which is directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Poor Abe Lincoln. He's probably somewhere thanking John Wilkes Booth right now… pic.twitter.com/SSLimbdmyg
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) June 12, 2026
He also discovered a new nickname for Trump, “It is sponsored by Monster Energy drink. And could there be a better metaphor for this administration than a giant Monster Energy logo on the White House lawn? One of the Monster Energy flavors is Mango Loco, which would also be a great nickname for the president."
Moving on to other projects, Kimmel highlighted "the big, beautiful ballroom/bunker/Taco Bell-Pizza Hut and the brand-new $14 million reflecting pool, which is directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Poor Abe Lincoln. He's probably somewhere thanking John Wilkes Booth right now because he—”
The famous Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Memorial then came to life to rebuke Kimmel, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, not cool. Too soon.”
After Kimmel voiced amazement that Statue Lincoln was talking, the statue mocked Trump’s “dumocrats” nickname for Democrats and subsequent explanation of removing the B from “dumb,” “Of course I can talk, dumbass. You know, a lot of people don't realize that ‘dumbass’ has a B in it.”
The skit would continue with Statue Lincoln claiming to actually enjoy all of Trump’s renovations because it would be a change from what he usually sees, confessing to having a sports gambling addiction, and hiring the Statue of Liberty as a stripper.
If any other president decided to renovate the reflecting pool, it would either be a non-story or be portrayed as a positive thing. It certainly would not provide the basis for a “Lincoln thanks Booth” skit.
Here is a transcript for the June 11 show:
ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live!
6/11/2026
11:47 PM ET
JIMMY KIMMEL: In preparation for the party, Trump has been renovating the White House and the neighborhood around it. This right now is the current state of our nation's capital. You can see, there it is, the awful tower, which now has a UFC octagon in front of it. It has eight sides, one for each year of our lives the president has ruined.
It is sponsored by Monster Energy drink. And could there be a better metaphor for this administration than a giant Monster Energy logo on the White House lawn? One of the Monster Energy flavors is Mango Loco, which would also be a great nickname for the president. Here's the—this is the big, beautiful ballroom/bunker/Taco Bell-Pizza Hut and the brand-new $14 million reflecting pool, which is directly in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Poor Abe Lincoln. He's probably somewhere thanking John Wilkes Booth right now because he—
ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Whoa, whoa, whoa, not cool. Too soon.
JIMMY KIMMEL: Whoa, you can talk?
LINCOLN: Of course I can talk, dumbass. You know, a lot of people don't realize that “dumbass” has a B in it.
KIMMEL: Oh, yeah, so we’ve been told.
