Politics

10:04 AM PT -- Davis Ingle, a White House spokesperson, tells TMZ ... “President Trump made history as the first sitting President to attend an NBA Finals game. The President watched every moment of a highly competitive, entertaining contest from James Dolan’s suite, joined by talented members of his Cabinet. Anyone ridiculously claiming the President was asleep is either lying or has severe brain damage.”

Donald Trump came to the NBA Finals hoping to watch the Knicks take a commanding 3-0 series lead ... but by the end of the night, he seemed to be ready for a nap instead.

The president's visit to Madison Square Garden on Monday was a spectacle from the jump. When Trump appeared on the arena's video boards before Game 3, a loud chorus of boos rained down from the crowd -- instantly turning the commander-in-chief into one of the night's biggest storylines.

Social media later erupted after cameras appeared to catch Trump with his eyes closed in his luxury suite, seated beside Knicks owner James Dolan and granddaughter Kai Trump ... prompting plenty of jokes about the 79-year-old nodding off while the Knicks were fighting to stay perfect in the series.

Todd and Julie Chrisley claim the people who were supposed to keep them out of prison are the very reason they ended up behind bars ... and now they're suing them.

The reality TV stars filed a lawsuit against their former lawyer, Chris Anulewicz, and the law firm Balch & Bingham, claiming a massive mistake in their federal fraud case paved the way for their convictions.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the Chrisleys say their attorneys missed a key opportunity to keep some of the government's most important evidence out of court.

According to the suit, the "Chrisley Knows Best" stars say they believe the entire case grew out of an illegal warehouse search years before they were indicted.

Their lawyers successfully got some of that material thrown out after convincing the judge the search was illegal ... but Todd and Julie claim the legal team never went after the emails, bank records and other evidence investigators found because of that search.

9:27 AM PT -- Stephen A. Smith clapped back at President Trump for seemingly falling asleep during game 3 of the NBA Finals -- saying, "Didn't you call out former President Joe Biden, 'Sleepy Joe'? Well, what should we call you?”

President Trump is pouring cold water on Stephen A. Smith's possible aspirations to ascend to the White House, saying he doesn't have the "IQ" or the "aptitude" to become commander-in-chief.

Trump's vicious remarks came during a press gaggle late Monday night in NYC, before he boarded Air Force One to fly back to D.C. after watching Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. 

Check out the clip ... a reporter first tells Trump that Smith -- a famous sports commentator -- has been talking about running for president and that he would blame Trump if the Knicks lost to the Spurs (the Spurs ended up beating the Knicks 115-111.)

Cardi B says President Trump screwed the New York Knicks' mojo by showing up to Game 3 of the NBA Finals ... killing the overall vibe of Madison Square Garden.

The "WAP" superstar was in the building as the halftime entertainment ... and she says she felt like Trump brought a "dark" energy to MSG.

Cardi chowed down on a SpongeBob SquarePants popsicle as she shared her experience ... comparing Trump's appearance to a principal being at a party, with everyone feeling like they had to be on their best behavior.

Donald Trump's arrival at Madison Square Garden was almost as anticipated as tipoff itself ... with POTUS instantly becoming part of the show when he stepped into the building for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Watch for yourself ... the MSG faithful made their feelings known ... turning Trump's appearance during the National Anthem into one of the loudest moments of the night so far.

And it seems the crowd's reaction wasn't lost on him as he let a smirk slip out while the crowd spoke ... or rather booed ... their piece.

Spencer Pratt's Los Angeles mayoral dream won't come true this year ... because he finished third in the primary election and won't advance to the runoff.

Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilwoman Nithya Raman won more of the vote than Pratt ... meaning the two will go head to head in the general election on November 3.

Now that 92.5% of the expected votes have been counted, Bass remains in the lead with 34.3% while Raman earned 28.5% of the vote compared to Pratt sitting at 25.8% ... according NBC.

The NY Knicks are two games from their first NBA title in 53 years, but President Trump's presence at Madison Square Garden has dominated much of the conversation... begging the question, will it distract the hometown team?!

No, not at all ... according to former NBA star Zach Randolph, who TMZ Sports ran into at LAX on Monday.

"At this stage where these guys are playing for a championship, I don't think that's going to distract [the Knicks] because it's more important things than, you know, getting distracted by the president," the 2x NBA All-Star said.

The UFC's iconic Octagon Girls are getting a new look ahead of the White House card -- their Freedom 250 outfits were revealed on Monday ... and they're patriotic from head to toe!!

The full attire lineup features plenty of Red, White and Blue options ... some similar to what Wonder Woman would wear, while others are more formal with flowy stars and stripes patterns, as if Betsy Ross herself stitched them together.

Red Dela Cruz and Chrissy Blair modeled all the 'fits ... which will be worn during the ceremonial weigh-ins and actual fight night on the White House South Lawn, where four different sets of threads will be put on display for all in attendance and watching from home.

President Trump is raising hell over Spencer Pratt's mayoral bid ... arguing the former reality TV star couldn't have legitimately fallen to third place.

POTUS unloaded on Truth Social Monday after new vote totals showed Pratt slipping out of runoff-advancing position in the Los Angeles mayoral race. Trump called the result impossible, blasted the city's election process and declared a "rigged" election.

Trump's frustration stems from Pratt's dramatic reversal in the days since Election Night.

As we previously reported, the former 'Hills' star spent much of the campaign emerging as one of Mayor Karen Bass' biggest challengers, even topping her in fundraising during parts of the race.

When the first wave of results rolled in, it looked like Pratt would be advancing to the runoff ... he was running second behind Bass. But as more ballots are counted and results slowly trickle in, City Councilmember Nithya Raman has surged past him, knocking Pratt into third place. The top two advance to November's runoff election.

President Trump loves a good wall ... so it's only fitting Madison Square Garden set one up outside the venue ahead of POTUS' attendance at Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

The safety barricade was put in place by Monday morning ... one of the many safety measures implemented in preparation for Nos. 45 and 47's appearance at the World's Most Famous Arena for the Knicks vs. Spurs matchup.

The vibes will be quite different from the usual ... as rowdy watch parties will not take place outside the building, which has upset Knicks supporters. There will be an event at Bryant Park for backers to congregate at instead ... a 15-minute walk away from MSG.

Stephen A. Smith is calling foul on President Donald Trump's plans to Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight at Madison Square Garden ... blasting the visit as a massive headache for New Yorkers and saying POTUS has "no business" showing up.

Roll the tape ... the ESPN personality unloaded during Monday's episode of "First Take." SAS didn't dive into politics or policy, but he made it clear he's not thrilled about POTUS bringing the Secret Service circus to one of the biggest basketball nights of the year.

Smith argued MSG isn't some sprawling football stadium with acres of parking and room to spare ... it's smack in the middle of one of the busiest parts of NYC, where traffic is already a nightmare before adding a presidential motorcade and security detail to the mix.

He called Trump's plan to attend "selfish," "narcissistic," and "ridiculous" ... insisting he'd feel the exact same way if the president sitting courtside was Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, or even Ronald Reagan.

Nithya Raman might just send Spencer Pratt packing ... from the mayoral race and the city.

Spencer promised to leave L.A. if he wasn't the next mayor, and he just fell to third place behind incumbent Karen Bass and Raman, a City Council member.

"The Hills" alum had been in second place since election night last Tuesday ... but Raman had been slowly closing the gap as results trickle in ... and now Spencer's dropped to third place.

President Trump's plan to host a UFC fight card at the White House is getting hit with a legal haymaker ... because a new federal lawsuit is trying to stop the event before anyone steps into the Octagon.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, two Virginia residents are suing the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior over "UFC Freedom 250" -- the June 14 event slated for the White House South Lawn.

The plaintiffs claim the card is less about celebrating America's 250th birthday and more about giving some of Trump's closest allies -- including UFC boss Dana White -- a massive platform at some of the country's most iconic landmarks as The Lincoln Memorial is scheduled to host ceremonial weigh-ins for fighters before the event.

The White House's social media team is at it again ... dropping a bizarre meme-filled video for "6/7 Day" that has the internet doing a double take

The clip, posted Sunday across official White House social channels, leaned heavily into internet humor, featuring an over-the-top soundtrack and a barrage of fast-moving visuals designed to celebrate June 7.

But it wasn't the just the message or President Trump's dance moves that grabbed everyone's attention ... it was the imagery.