Trump urges ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel 'soon' for Melania joke

US President Donald Trump intensified his calls Thursday for ABC to dismiss late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, warning that the comedian's removal "better be soon" following public outrage.

"When is ABC Fake News Network firing seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of the lowest rated shows on television," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

The president asserted that "people are angry" and demanded swift action from the network.

The dispute stems from a parody Kimmel delivered last Thursday, in which he remarked that first lady Melania Trump had "a glow like an expectant widow."

The joke preceded a weekend assassination attempt on the US president at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Melania Trump condemned the comments as "corrosive," while Trump previously said that Kimmel should be "immediately fired" by parent company Disney.

Trump and Kimmel have exchanged barbs for months, if not years. Last September, Kimmel was taken off the air for several days after making comments about the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

Trump has also long targeted other late-night comedians who have made fun of him, including Seth Meyers and Steven Colbert, who announced last year that his show had been cancelled. Broadcaster CBS said the show was not profitable, but Trump critics said he pressured the network to take Colbert off the air.