Jimmy Fallon has responded to President Donald Trump’s Twitter insult – by wondering aloud whether the Commander-in-Chief has better things to do than diss him online.
“When I saw that Trump insulted me on Twitter I was going to tweet back immediately, but I thought, ‘I have more important things to do,'” Fallon said in his Tonight Show monologue Monday. “Then I thought, ‘Wait, shouldn’t he have more important things to do?’ He’s the president of the – what are you doing? You’re the president. And you’re tweeting at me.”
Trump tweeted at Fallon Sunday night, describing the comedian as “whimpering” after he apologized for Trump’s infamous hair-mussing appearance on his show as a candidate in 2016. “Be a man Jimmy!” Trump wrote. Trump doubled down on his criticism of Fallon at a campaign-style speech in South Carolina Monday, calling the host “a lost soul” and “a poor guy,” according to USA Today.
In September 2016, Fallon welcomed Trump on The Tonight Show and tousled his hair — sparking backlash from critics who claimed Fallon did that to “humanize” the then-presidential candidate. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Fallon said he “made a mistake” and apologized.
On Monday night, Fallon also invoked First Lady Melania Trump’s anti-bullying efforts. “So, Melania, if you’re watching, I don’t think your anti-bullying campaign is working,” he said.
Fallon joked that being insulted by Trump on Twitter is “pretty much the only thing I have in common with NFL players.”
The comedian didn’t respond directly to Trump’s insult on Twitter, but instead announced he was making a donation to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), a Texas nonprofit that hundreds of thousands of Facebook users have donated to in support of immigrant families. In a tweet, Fallon said he will make the donation in Trump’s name.
“When Trump heard that, he said ‘I love RAICES, they’re my favorite peanut butter cup,'” Fallon joked, imitating the president. “‘There’s no wrong way to eat a RAICES.'”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Where Trump 2.0 Will Differ From 1.0
- How Elon Musk Became a Kingmaker
- The Power—And Limits—of Peer Support
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com