Former US President Donald Trump has unleashed a blistering verbal assault on television host and former Glee star Jimmy Fallon, escalating a long-simmering feud into a very public spat.
The incendiary comments were posted on Trump's proprietary social media platform, Truth Social, and came in direct response to a resurfaced video clip from Fallon's tenure on Saturday Night Live.
The Clip That Sparked the Fury
The footage in question dates back to a 2016 episode of SNL, in which Jimmy Fallon portrayed a flustered Trump during a presidential debate sketch. The comedian's exaggerated impersonation, complete with trademark gestures and expressions, clearly continues to rankle the former commander-in-chief years later.
In his characteristic all-caps style, Trump did not hold back. He labelled the NBC host "stupid and incompetent" and went even further, suggesting Fallon was a "lost soul who should be kicked off television for all time."
A History of Tension
This is not the first time the two have been at odds, though their relationship has been notoriously uneven. Fallon famously faced widespread criticism in 2016 for what many perceived as a soft-handed interview with then-candidate Trump, where he even ruffled the future president's hair.
This recent tirade suggests any past cordiality is well and truly over. Trump's post vehemently criticised Fallon's comedic abilities and his tenure on The Tonight Show, asserting that the programme's ratings have suffered dramatically under his leadership.
The very public dressing-down underscores Trump's known propensity for holding grudges and swiftly retaliating against critics, no matter how much time has passed since the initial slight.
