The latest champ, who took home nearly $900,000 in winnings, spoke to People magazine about the experience, including a nod to his immigrant heritage that didn’t ruffle many feathers.
But then, as TheBlaze reported, he served up a critique of the Trump administration that many felt was unfair and unfounded:
“As an immigrant and a person of color, I was able to become part of the history of an American institution,” Ding stated.
The Princeton grad went on to condemn the Trump administration’s policy of deporting illegal immigrants.
“‘Jeopardy!’ really is an institution, and America’s turning 250 years old, and the federal government is going after immigrants in a way unlike anything that we’ve seen in the recent past,” he said. “So I hope that immigrants can be seen in a positive light too.”
The outlet went on to note that Ding has teamed up with New Jersey’s Democrat governor on a low-income housing project. And despite his unprovoked jab at the Trump administration, he had the audacity to pat himself on the back for appearances on the game show that he said “was bringing people together.”
But his comments didn’t escape the critique of social media users:
I’ll take pretends to not understand the difference between legal and illegal immigration for 800 Alex. pic.twitter.com/1H5noCNJ3y
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) April 29, 2026
A guy so smart but so stupid at the same time…insulting that he believes that all immigrants are the same. If you are legal, you’re welcome here, if you are an illegal, bye.
— Rob Sanchez Jr (@Cubanbob) April 29, 2026
How can he be so smart and not know the difference between legal and illegal immigrants? BECAUSE HE IS A SHILL FOR CCP
— ted baldwin (@tedbaldwin) April 29, 2026
His politics notwithstanding, Ding was a formidable player, with a streak longer than all but four other contestants in “Jeopardy!” history.
Host Ken Jennings, who racked up more than double that many victories in his historic run, said he thought Ding might be the one to dethrone him, as The Detroit News reported:
Jennings, who holds the game show’s longest winning streak at 74 and the record for cash won with more than $2.5 million, believes his streak can be beaten.
“I thought Jamie was the guy, actually,” Jennings told USA Today in an interview published Friday. “But as we’ve seen, all it takes is a few breaks in one game, and — next.”
Asked if he talked any trash to Ding about the record, Jennings said “absolutely not.” He added that players like Ding are rare.
“We have a lot of great players, but we have a small number who can play better when the pressure gets dialed up, and he’s one of those,” Jennings said.
Here’s another interview with Ding following his defeat:
How do you feel about it?






