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Trump goes after Jimmy Fallon on Twitter after "Tonight Show" host expresses regret about interview

Trump goes after Jimmy Fallon on Twitter after "Tonight Show" host expresses regret about interview
Posted at 9:56 AM, Jun 25, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-25 09:56:51-04

President Donald Trump attacked Jimmy Fallon on Twitter Sunday after "The Tonight Show" host expressed regret about a friendly interview during the campaign.

Trump's outburst -- which references a light-hearted moment on the show during the 2016 campaign -- is the latest example of him using his platform as president to respond to perceived slights made by entertainers.

".@jimmyfallon is now whimpering to all that he did the famous 'hair show' with me (where he seriously messed up my hair), & that he would have now done it differently because it is said to have 'humanized' me-he is taking heat. He called & said 'monster ratings.' Be a man Jimmy!" Trump tweeted.

 

Fallon said in response he would make a donation in Trump's name to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, a non-profit group that provides legal services to immigrants.

The back-and-forth refers to a "Tonight Show" appearance Trump made in the fall of 2016, where the then-Republican presidential nominee let Fallon mess with his hair. The lighthearted appearance led to criticism for Fallon, who said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he wasn't trying to "normalize" Trump or express agreement with his politics.

"I made a mistake," Fallon said. "I'm sorry if I made anyone mad. And, looking back, I would do it differently."

The "Tonight Show" host first publicly expressed regret for the 2016 interview last year, telling The New York Times that his critics "have a right to be mad."