Jimmy Kimmel predicted it: Donald Trump fell asleep during game three of the NBA Finals as the New York Knicks took on the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
The president was heavily booed during his appearance at Madison Square Garden, much to the delight of late-night hosts. On The Daily Show, host Desi Lydic quipped that the city gave “President Donald Jump Shot Trump” a “very New York welcome.”
“Do you know what it means to have every single person in New York booing you?” she said. “Even a guy taking a shit on the subway will have one New Yorker cheering him on.”
She noted, “Whether you like that Trump was there or not, he is a lifelong Knicks fan, so he wasn’t going to let some haters stop him from enjoying every second of the game.” The show then cut to a clip of Trump appearing to fall asleep during the game. “Sir, you can’t sleep through the game,” Lydic replied. “You’re the President, not game three referee Mark Davis.”
Kimmel, after guessing that Trump would likely fall asleep, reflected on the president choosing to attend the finals on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “Donald Trump, the biggest celebrity of all, who last night made history [and] became the first sitting President to shut down a major United States city so he could take a nap in front of a sold-out crowd at the NBA Finals,” Kimmel said. “This was a bad idea to start with and went about as badly as it could possibly go for Trump.”
The host recounted how fans had to wait in line “for hours” to get through all of the security required at the event and the number of people who made posters and signs speaking out against the president. “The question on everyone’s mind was ‘Would the president get booed in the Garden?’” Kimmel said. “The team didn’t want this, so they were smart. They tried something clever. They showed him on the Jumbotron during the national anthem when it’s frowned upon to boo. And that strategy did not work at all.”
He added, after playing a clip of the boos, “They say that is the loudest the president has been booed at a sporting event since Abe Lincoln flipped the coin at the Cotton Bowl. But it didn’t affect his appetite, that’s the good news.”
The president was later caught on camera potentially asleep after spending “who knows how many millions of taxpayer dollars to get there and he goes out like a light.”
“Who can fall asleep during the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden?” Kimmel added. “Do you know how out of it you have to be? I hope Joe Biden was watching this and laughing his ass off last night.”
Kimmel noted that the Knicks lost, probably because of the president. “They had a 13-game win streak until Trump showed up,” Kimmel said. “Basically, he did to the Knicks last night what he’s going to do to Republicans in Congress come November: He hit them with a jinx.”
On The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon opened his monologue by saying, “Welcome to New York City, the city that never sleeps. Well, unless you’re this guy.” After showing an image of Trump asleep, he added, “Yeah, last night President Trump slept at Madison Square Garden for game three of the NBA Finals. And the Knicks fans are blaming him for the team’s loss. Trump doesn’t want to be blamed, so today he called the NBA and demanded they find five more points for the Knicks.”
Fallon joked that “on the bright side for Trump, his approval rating in San Antonio is now 100 percent.”
