It’s been more than a month since Joe Biden took Seth Meyers out for the world’s most memorable ice cream cone, and the Late Night host appears to still be processing the events of that day.
On Wednesday, Meyers seemed to express concern at the fact that while during their February outing the president delivered a mid-lick prediction that a ceasefire in Gaza was just days away, no such détente has yet happened. It’s a big enough issue for voters that tens of thousands of Democrats are refusing to vote for Biden in key battleground states such as Wisconsin and Michigan.
“Do you know how angry someone has to be to leave their home, go to their local polling place, and wait in line just to submit a blank ballot,” Meyers asked. “That’s like driving to your nearest Apple Store, waiting in line all day for the new Vision Pro, and then when you get to the counter screaming, ‘I don’t want these. I think these look stupid.’”
ADVERTISEMENT
Even in New York, which hasn’t voted Republican since 1984, an estimated 12 percent of the Democratic ballots cast in Tuesday’s presidential primary were left blank to protest Biden’s refusal to demand any real action from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And Meyers believes that, come November, the consequences for the incumbent president could be dire.
“[Voters] are understandably upset [that] Biden keeps claiming he’s frustrated with Netanyahu’s handling of the war, while simultaneously sending more weapons to support that war against the wishes of a majority of Americans,” Meyers explained, then reminded viewers of the aforementioned ice cream cone promise Biden made about a ceasefire.
“I remember him saying that because, despite my best efforts, I was standing right fucking there,” said the host.
When, just a few days after their encounter and Biden was again asked about the ceasefire, “he made it sound like there wasn’t much he could do,” said Meyers. Biden at the time replied that “Hope springs eternal,” then clarified that he was “hopeful” that some sort of armistice could be reached. But Meyers isn’t ready to accept that non-answer.
“What do you mean you’re ‘hopeful,’ you’re the most powerful man in the world and you’re talking about it like you’re the manager of the New York Mets,” Meyers said, adding: “You’re the president. You can just say, ‘No more funding. No more weapons.’ You can call for a ceasefire—that’s what a majority of Americans want, including the tens of thousands of Democrats who are registering protest votes in key battleground states.”
Unless Biden wants to spend January packing up the Oval Office, Meyers believes speaking up about Israel is the only way to ensure another four years in office: “There must be an immediate lasting ceasefire and the safe return of all hostages. That’s the loud and clear message of these protest votes, and Biden must listen, otherwise he’s at risk of losing to someone whose presidency was a...”
Instead of saying it himself, Meyers cut to a simple quote from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaking with Fox News (which ran earlier in the segment).
“...complete disaster,” Huckabee said in the clip.
