Jimmy Kimmel tricks people into explaining what they think of Christopher Columbus's nomination to Supreme Court

The late-night host said 'People should know who he is'

Chelsea Ritschel
in New York
Tuesday 09 October 2018 21:49 BST
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Jimmy Kimmel asks people how they feel about 'Christopher Columbus Supreme Court nomination'

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Jimmy Kimmel celebrated Christopher Columbus Day by asking people what their thoughts were on the explorer’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

Meshing the controversial hearing and subsequent confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, with the national holiday dedicated to the 15th century colonist, Kimmel’s team decided to trick people with the question on the latest episode of “Lie Witness News.”

“There’s a lot going on in the country, so we decided to combine two of the big things going on right now,” Kimmel said on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

According to the late-night host, people should know who Columbus is - as he’s the “third that we learn the most about in elementary school” after George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

However, despite Kimmel's confidence in Americans, the question was met with surprising answers.

In response to the question “Do you agree with the Supreme Court’s decision to confirm Donald Trump’s nominee Christopher Columbus to the Supreme Court?” the first respondent said she agreed with the court’s decision because: “I just believe it was so long ago in the past and there’s not enough evidence to back it up.”

She later said in the video that she believes Barack Obama’s nominee Marco Polo would have made a better nominee because he’s “more relevant.”

Of those questioned, only one person appeared to know there was a difference between Judge Kavanaugh and Christopher Columbus - but still supported the fictitious nomination.

“We’ve been celebrating Columbus for how many years now? So it really doesn’t matter to me,” he answered, before confirming that he “thinks it’s okay for him to sit on the Supreme Court.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the man concluded.

You can watch the full video here.

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