This week, as members of the Trump administration anonymously trash the president both on The New York Times op-ed page and in Bob Woodward’s book Fear, Seth Meyers is throwing cold water on the notion that these so-called defenders of America should be considered heroes.
“Trump is being allowed to fill a lifetime seat to the nation’s highest court despite constant leaks about how dangerous and erratic he is,” the Late Night host said Thursday. Thanks to Woodward’s book, he added, we now know Trump is “as vulgar and petulant in private as he is in public.”
“Of course, you don’t need a book to know that,” Meyers continued. “You just need eyeballs and ear holes.” While Trump’s aides are “trying to cast themselves as heroic saviors protecting the republic from the whims of a madman,” Meyers sees it differently.
“It’s easy to talk tough, but unless you’re willing to resign and tell the American people everything you know, then your tough talk is worthless,” he added, comparing Chief of Staff John Kelly to a kid who says he’s going to stand up to the bully but then totally caves when confronted on the playground.
Meyers then turned to the “craziest part” of Woodward’s taped phone call with the president, in which Trump suggested his aides were too afraid to tell him about requests to be interviewed for the book. After playing the clip, he said, “So to recap, Trump says Bob Woodward’s book is a work of fiction because he never spoke to Woodward because his aides were too afraid to talk to him about doing an interview for Woodward’s book, which is literally called Fear.”
“Trump is such a bad liar, even his lies prove that he’s lying,” the host added. Imitating Trump, he said, “Your book called Fear is totally inaccurate and I would have told you that if my aides weren’t afraid to come talk to me.”
By the end of the segment, Meyers had returned to the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings, which he called a “perfect distillation of the GOP’s complicity in the Trump debacle.”
“I mean it’s mind-boggling that we’re even considering allowing a president to fill a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court while his own aides warn that he’s unfit for office,” he added. “But that’s the corrupt bargain the GOP has made. They’re not heroes containing Trump, they’re collaborators working with him.”