Jimmy Fallon used Donald Trump’s appearance at the NBA Finals to roast the president on Monday night.
The late-night host made a rare series of quips about the president, ripping into Trump for appearing at Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“Heading into tonight, the Knicks have won 13 games in a row,” began Fallon. “New Yorkers haven’t been this excited since they added outdoor seating at Flashdancers.”
“I mean, this is really—yeah, 13 in a row, including a one-point nail-biter on Friday night. That was amazing. One point,” he continued. “It was so exciting, not even Trump could sleep through it,” Fallon added, inadvertently predicting Trump’s mid-game nap later that night.
The Tonight Show host displayed an image of Trump dozing off in a chair–which is now a frequent occurrence.
“Speaking of the president, the big story surrounding tonight was that Trump decided to attend the game here at Madison Square Garden,” Fallon continued, as the audience booed.
“Trump was going to sit courtside, but officials were afraid the players would start dribbling his head,” he quipped.
“Usually when Trump sees a three-pointer, he’s identifying a triangle on his cognitive test,” joked Fallon, imitating Trump.
“Meanwhile, because Trump went to the game, the watch party outside of the arena was canceled,” Fallon said. “And fans had to arrive two hours early to get through security. It’s like Trump asked himself: ‘How could I get my approval rating down to zero?’”
“Among New Yorkers, Trump is polling somewhere between slow-walking tourists and mysterious subway liquid,” he said.
Fallon joined late-night hosts like Seth Meyers and Jon Stewart in mocking the president’s attendance at the game. Fallon is generally considered the least political of his cohort, but has increasingly taken more overt digs at Trump.
Trump, 79, attended the game as a guest of Knicks owner James Dolan, a longtime friend of the president who donated heavily to his 2016 election campaign and again for his 2024 re-election bid.
The president’s disastrous appearance was censured by New Yorkers, who booed Trump at the venue.
