Jimmy Kimmel takes dig at Atlanta-area architect working on Trump arch

Irene Wright, USA TODAYSat, April 18, 2026 at 9:05 AM UTC

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An Atlanta native was in Jimmy Kimmel's crosshairs during a recent monologue thanks to his work on various Trump construction projects.

Rodney Mims Cook Jr., well known in Atlanta for being the mind behind the Millennium Gate Museum and son of lawmaker and civil rights support Rodney Mims Cook Sr., was appointed as the chairman of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts by President Trump this year.

The Buckhead native and the rest of the commission have been active parts of the White House reconstruction project, as well as a potential "Triumphal Arch" near Arlington National Cemetery.

Kimmel talked about the projects and the president's "tantrum" on his show.

Kimmel said Cook looks like an inappropriate 'Hogwarts professor'

In his opening monologue, Kimmel said Trump's visit to Las Vegas was like "when Pennywise goes back into the sewer," and joked about the president's "no tax on tips" roundtable held in the city. He then went on to say Trump had a "tantrum" online following the news that a judge paused construction on the White House "big beautiful ballroom."

"The good news for Trump is that things appear to be moving forward to build what his press secretary inexplicably calls the Triumphal Arch," Kimmel said. The show played a doctored video of Karoline Leavitt holding up an image of the arch, where the real design was replaced with the "Golden Arches" of a McDonald's.

Leavitt pronounced the word "arch" as "arc" in the video, which Kimmel said was a nod to the Arc de Triomphe in France, a war memorial. Trump stole the idea from the French, Kimmel joked, but instead of using it to honor generals who died in defense of France, Trump's arch would "have the name of a draft dodger who killed America."

"The arch did get a bigly thumbs up from the chair of Trump's commission of fine arts, Rodney Mims Cook Jr.," Kimmel said. A photo of Cook taken from the organization's website played on the screen as Kimmel said "seen here looking like the Hogwarts professor who got fired for ogling Hermione, thinks it's just great."

USA TODAY reached out to Cook about the joke and has not received a response.

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Cook key supporter of Trump constructions

In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this year, Crook criticized past administrations hosting White House events under tents on the lawn due to the large attendance.

"We should not be entertaining the world in tents," Cook told the outlet. "There are also security issues with entertaining foreign leaders in tents, much less our own leaders."

Cook said the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts didn't just blindly stamp Trump's plan for the large ballroom, but rather deliberated extensively and convinced Trump to agree to a smaller construction.

"We asked him to compromise on the ballroom wing and he did," Cooks told the AJC. "The top does not go higher than the residence, and from the North Lawn, it looks absolutely proportionate and beautiful."

Cook told the Washington Post he worked on the idea of an arch in Washington for three decades, convincing various leaders and residents over the years. Now, his idea is coming to fruition.

"I think the president should do three," Cook told the outlet. "He wants to complete the L'Enfant plan. No one has," referring to architect Peirre L'Enfant's original baroque-style plan for Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts voted to approve plans for the arch, as well as two other projects, on Thursday.

Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Kimmel takes aim at Atlanta architect working on Trump projects

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