Late-night hosts discuss US president’s questioning of historic midterms defeat and his unpopular ‘triumphal arch’
Late-night hosts tore into Donald Trump going through the motions on election denial and his self-centered tribute for US Veterans Day.
Seth Meyers
On Wednesday’s Late Night, Seth Meyers checked in with how Trump is processing Republicans’ historic defeat in the midterms, widely seen as a mass repudiation of his administration. The president initially seemed defeat, even depressed, in his acceptance of the results: “It’s just a point in time, it’s just the way it is,” he told Fox News last week.
“I’ve seen Trump angry, I’ve seen Trump tired, but I’ve never heard him so depressed,” Meyers laughed of that comment. “He’s going to do his next press conference in sweats, eating a pint of Haagen-Dazs.”
And “the sadder Trump gets, the more emboldened the press gets,” he added. “In fact, there’s one clip from a few days ago that really sums up the mood at the White House right now.”
The host then played a clip of Trump being asked by a reporter: “How does it feel being a loser, Mr President?” Trump did not answer, and instead walked quickly (by his standards) away from the press gaggle.
“Damn, he was out of there so fast, I thought he was gonna Mary Poppins out of frame,” Meyers joked. “It’s so funny to get asked what does it feel like to be a loser and then walk away alone in the rain. ‘How does it feel to be a loser? I’ll take my answer non-verbally.’”
“The point is, Trump seemed sad and resigned after the midterms, too resigned to gin up any fake outrage about the results,” Meyers added. “But on Monday, he picked himself up off the mat and got back to doing what he loves most: lying about elections.”
On Truth Social, Trump posted: “Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest. How could the Polls be so wrong???”
“Does anyone believe this election was honest? Uh, yeah, you, two days ago!” Meyers mocked. “And now we’re blaming the machines again? What is this, a 2020-themed birthday party? Should I grab my N96 mask and throw on The Last Dance?”
“Seriously, dude, you don’t even believe your own bullshit,” he continued. “And watching you go through the motions is bumming me out. It’s like watching an old dog try to chase a car when every breath sounds like their last.”
Jimmy Kimmel
And in Los Angeles, Jimmy Kimmel mocked Trump’s appearance at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, ostensibly to observe Veterans Day in the US. “Typically, a president will show up and pay his respects to those who gave their lives to this country,” Kimmel explained. “Every Veterans Day, that’s how it goes. But this president saw it as a good opportunity to brag about all the money he claims to be raking in.”
In his speech, Trump bragged about taking “billions and billions of dollars” in oil from Venezuela, and added: “To the victor belongs the spoils, they used to say. But you can say it again with us, under this leadership.”
“Oh that’s great – then why is gas still $6 a gallon?” Kimmel retorted. “Maybe this victor is keeping the spoils for himself?”
Trump also boasted about his highly contested triumphal arch the “he’s building to honor himself,” said Kimmel. The arch, to be constructed next to Arlington, is now the subject of multiple lawsuits, though “they’re working very hard to claim that this arch is intended to honor the military.”
In fact, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle issued a statement this week claiming that the arch will serve as a “visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250-year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today”.
Kimmel offered a curt response: “Hey Dingle, your boss’s dumb vanity project is gonna cost us at least a hundred million dollars, maybe two hundred or three hundred million. And you know who could use that money? The VA [Veterans Administration], which is now in worse shape than ever, largely thanks to his big, beautiful budget cuts.”
“Donny Bonespurs and his sidekick Elon cut thousands of veteran jobs last year – 28,000 of those jobs were at the VA, including nurses, psychologists and social workers,” he added. “So unless that arch is filled with benefits for men and women who serve this country, maybe put a sock in it and go outside and play with the other kids.”
