His mockery of Markwayne Mullin was revealing.
His mockery of Markwayne Mullin was revealing.
J immy Kimmel’s clearly been in the entertainment establishment for too long. The late-night host — or at least the producer who writes his scripts — is culturally out to lunch, as evidenced by his recent anti-working-class screed against now-confirmed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
“Before he was elected to the Senate, Markwayne Mullin was a plumber. That’s right. We have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now,” Kimmel snarked.
Ben Franklin owned a successful print shop. Paul Revere was a renowned Boston silversmith. Samuel Adams worked at a brewery. Thomas Paine operated a clothing shop for a time. These colonial-era craftsmen would go on to forge the American republic. It turns out that these men, many of them very young as well, had extraordinary brains and talents in fields that did not preclude them from politics but rather enhanced that work. If one considered only their occupations, they weren’t necessarily equipped for the complicated and onerous business of building a nation from scratch. But they were stakeholders in its flourishing economy and pillars of their communities. Those experiences no doubt imparted wisdom and practical knowledge that they could apply to structuring the government and executing its functions.
Mullin grew his family’s plumbing outfit from a local outfit into a large enterprise employing more than 300 workers. He’s managed people and systems and has likely had to make strategic calls on both technology and personnel. I think the majority of the public is tired of Democratic politicians worshipping experts who claim that only they know how the sausage gets made, whether that’s in public health or national security.
Of course, this administration has made questionable decisions in some of its nominations, seemingly prizing loyalty and fame over relevant experience. Then again, Democrats for a minute put a lot of stock in Jasmine Crockett as a rising star, despite her thinking that her online celebrity would be her biggest asset in a leadership position. As she told The Atlantic about her race for the top Democratic spot on the House Oversight Committee in June 2025: “It’s like, there’s one clear person in the race that has the largest social media following.”
But Mullin is not a self-obsessed TikToker; instead, he’s demonstrated elite business acumen and knows what it’s like to have skin in the game and be answerable to those he leads. Combine that with his decade-plus experience in Congress, and there can be little doubt that keeping the homeland safe — overseeing a bureaucracy with multiple agencies underneath it — could very well be within his skills’ wheelhouse. Just because someone has a more colorful or less pretentious resume doesn’t mean they’re not fit for a leadership role in government.
Kimmel’s rant confirms how unaware he is of the world outside his small TV bubble. Scoffing at those with career paths that include paper-bag lunches isn’t the “it thing” anymore. Gen Z has been dubbed “the toolbelt generation,” as more of them are skipping the traditional college education route and opting for entrepreneurship and skilled trades. Not only can carpenters, mechanics, welders, and HVAC specialists make bank — as it’s possible to scale these businesses over time — they’re also less susceptible to disruption from AI and recessions.
Thankfully, a great many observers noted that while Kimmel blasted Mullin’s credentials, he never ridiculed Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for being a bartender before becoming a legislator. Nor did he mock socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for having been a wannabe rapper and never holding a nongovernment job. It’s only because President Trump appointed Mullin that Mullin’s supposedly disqualifying enterprise — providing services that keep households healthy and their water flowing — is fair game.
If only Mullin had done something as noble in his past life as Kimmel, who previously hosted The Man Show — a trashy comedy show featuring men chugging beer and scantily clad women bouncing on trampolines.
But Kimmel can roast Mullin all he wants. One is the dimming star of a tanking show. The other saved the family business and is now the DHS secretary.