U.S. President Donald Trump is once again taking aim at late-night television, this time at NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, suggesting the comedian’s jokes about him are “probably illegal.”
In a lengthy Truth Social post on Saturday, November 1, Trump criticized Meyers for mocking comments he made during his recent trip to Asia.
Highlights
- Trump called Seth Meyers the 'least talented' late-night performer and claimed his jokes about him are 'probably illegal.'
- Meyers mocked Trump's focus on steam-powered catapults on aircraft carriers during a comedic segment.
- Trump described Meyers as a 'deranged lunatic' and accused NBC of wasting money on him for anti-Trump bias.
- This feud continues a pattern of Trump publicly targeting late-night hosts like Kimmel, Colbert, and Stewart.
“Seth Meyers of NBC may be the least talented person to ‘perform’ live in the history of television,” Trump wrote. “In fact, he may be the WORST to perform, live or otherwise.”
Donald Trump spoke out against Seth Meyers’ comedy
Image credits: Lloyd Bishop/Getty Images
Trump said he had watched Late Night for the first time in years and claimed Meyers “talked endlessly about electric catapults on aircraft carriers.”
During Trump’s recent trip to Japan, he addressed troops and said he would issue an executive order to restore the use of steam-powered catapults on aircraft carriers.
“I know a lot about these ships … I want to know [about] catapults, which is better, the electric or the steam? They’re spending billions of dollars to build stupid electric,” he went on.
Meyers used that claim for a comedic segment on Thursday’s show, joking that Trump “spends more time thinking about catapults than Wile E. Coyote,” a character from Looney Tunes.
Trump has been compared to Wile E. Coyote in the past, in particular for a scene where he races off a cliff confidently, only to realize that there’s nothing but a canyon floor far beneath him.
Image credits: Late Night with Seth Meyers/Getty Images
These comparisons suggest Trump’s confidence sometimes leads him into situations that backfire, much like the cartoon character’s doomed chases.
“Next, he’s gonna start complaining about how our troops don’t tie themselves to rockets anymore,” Meyers continued.
“We used to strap our soldiers to the rockets, and they loved it,” Meyers said, imitating Trump's voice. “But then everything got woke, and they said you can’t tie a person to a rocket, but we miss those days and we’re bringing them back.”
Trump did not find the humor amusing. “On and on he [Meyers] went, a truly deranged lunatic,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Why does NBC waste its time and money on a guy like this??? - NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!”
NBC has not publicly responded to Trump’s post, and representatives for Late Night have not commented.
Meyers’ jokes focused on Trump’s recent remarks about technology on naval ships.
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
While Trump described electric catapults as “stupid” and difficult to repair, Meyers mocked his understanding of modern military systems, telling his audience that the president “thinks he knows more about aviation than everyone else because he dances like one of those guys that holds the signaling sticks on the runway.”
Meyers’ monologue included an edited video showing Trump dancing while wearing reflective gear like an aircraft marshaller.
“Experts say it would cost billions to go back to the old system,” Meyers said.
This is not the first time Trump has targeted Meyers. In August, after NBC renewed Meyers’ contract, Trump criticized the comedian’s intelligence and ratings, calling him “the personality of an insecure child.”
He added, “So, why would Fake News NBC extend this dope’s contract. I don’t know, but I’ll definitely be finding out!!!”
Trump’s latest comments add to his long-running feud with late-night hosts who frequently criticize him. This year, he has publicly clashed with Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart.
He previously applauded the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the host made remarks against Trump.
Meyers mocked Trump about his views on steam-powered catapults on aircraft carriers
Image credits: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
Meyers, a longtime critic of the president, has repeatedly commented on Trump’s speeches and policies during his show. Earlier in October, he trolled the president, calling Trump “deeply unhinged, detached from reality,” and probably having dementia.
Since Trump began his second term as president, he has cracked down on the media and comedians who oppose him.
“The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in July after CBS announced it would cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“These are people with absolutely NO TALENT, who were paid Millions of Dollars for, in all cases, destroying what used to be GREAT Television. It’s really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!”