Seth Meyers took aim at Donald Trump's second presidency on Late Night, highlighting the dire state of the US economy and the president's focus on personal vanity projects.
Trump's response to Lindsey Graham's death
Meyers opened by covering Trump's reaction to the death of longtime loyalist Senator Lindsey Graham. He joked that Trump was an 'empathetic president who knows when to use a deft touch' before playing footage of Trump speculating on the cause of death. Trump claimed that part of Graham's body 'literally blew up,' according to some 'great doctors.' Meyers countered: 'I'd argue they weren't great doctors if they used language like "literally blew up."' He compared the description to something Wile E. Coyote would say, adding: 'Just be normal and have some decorum in a situation like this.'
Trump's phone habits and distractions
Meyers also played footage of Trump rambling on various topics while a Fox host tried to steer the conversation. 'Just hang up on him, you're not gonna get him to stop!' Meyers said. He likened Trump to any other 80-year-old on the phone who 'has nowhere to be, has nothing to do' and will 'torture you with small talk.'
Putting his name on currency
Turning to the economy, Meyers noted that with everyday Americans struggling, Trump is 'laser-focused' on putting his name and face on currency. He called it 'a grotesque act of ego' but remarked that it would be the 'first time American money will bear a signature that was also used to represent pubic hair on a dirty drawing to Jeffrey Epstein.' Meyers joked that the coin 'looks like a haunted coin from an Edgar Allan Poe story.'
Other distractions and a 'haunted coin'
Meyers briefly touched on the rise of an explosive diarrhea bug, which he thinks RFK Jr. will call 'discount Ozempic.' He also mocked Trump's 'awesome renovation projects,' including making the White House look 'like the location for the next season of The White Lotus.'
Poll numbers and economic reality
Despite administration claims that Trump is doing a better job than Joe Biden, Meyers pointed out that Trump's poll numbers are worse than Biden's ever were. 'No one feels better, everyone's miserable,' he said. 'Things are bad, that's not just my assessment.' However, Meyers gave the administration credit for 'holding firm to their principles' after Trump cronies opposed plans to charge a fee for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Another embarrassing U-turn
Meyers called Trump 'a man of his word' before showing a Truth Social post suggesting a 20% fee on ships, even though the US does not control the waterway. He called it 'the most disappointing thing to happen to Marco Rubio in the last 45 minutes.' Trump almost immediately walked back the plan. Meyers called it 'another embarrassing U-turn' and said such flip-flopping was 'not projecting strength.'
Recurring theme of the second term
Meyers concluded: 'This is the recurring theme of the second Trump presidency so far: he won an election on bringing down prices and making everything more affordable, and now everything is worse.'
