Late-night host Jimmy Fallon mocked President Trump after he lashed out at LaVar Ball for not giving him enough credit in the release of three UCLA basketball players, including Ball’s son, detained in China.
“Tomorrow, President Trump will pardon a turkey at the White House,” Fallon said Monday night. “Then he’ll spend the next week criticizing it for not thanking him enough. ‘I should have let you get eaten.’ “
{mosads}
Trump over the weekend criticized Ball, the outspoken father of one of the UCLA basketball players arrested in China earlier this month.
“Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!” Trump tweeted on Sunday afternoon.
In a later tweet, Trump doubled down on his criticism.
“Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be (5-10 years in jail), but not to father LaVar,” Trump tweeted. “Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released. Very ungrateful!”
Trump reportedly spoke to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping about releasing the basketball players during his visit to the country as part of his 12-day tour of Asia earlier this month. The players were released and arrived back in the U.S. last week.
Fallon took one more shot at Trump’s upcoming turkey pardon during “The Tonight Show,” saying the White House just released photos of the two turkeys Trump will pardon.
“And they also released photos of the two turkeys Trump refuses to pardon,” Fallon joked, showing a picture of Donald Trump Jr. and White House adviser and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.