Seth Meyers recaps the Pence-Kaine VP debate, focusing on the awkward Trump-Pence disconnect
Tuesday night was the sole vice-presidential debate between Gov. Mike Pence (R) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D), "and while Kaine seemed to channel Donald Trump in the number of times he interrupted, Pence seemed to act like Donald Trump wasn't even his running mate," Seth Meyers said in his Late Show debate recap Wednesday night. Meyers compared Kaine to an overprotective father and Pence to a vindictive vice principal, made cruel jokes about Kaine's harmonica playing, ridiculed Donald Trump's live-tweeting of the debate — though "according to CNN, he wasn't allowed to tweet without his handlers surrounding him," Meyers noted — and mocked Kaine's "terrible zingers."
Pence made sure to test out the microphone before the debate, a point Meyers apparently only brought up so he could show Michelle Obama's burn of Trump's own microphone complaints. "Check out how good Michelle Obama's burn game is right now," Meyers said. "Not only did she not say Trump's name, she burned him with one hand."
Meyers spent the last part of his "closer look" focused on Pence, starting with his "absurd insistence" that Hillary Clinton's campaign is the one driven by insults. "Donald Trump drops so many insults it's like Don Rickles and Triumph had a baby who had a Twitter account," he said. Meyers also noted the disconnect between what Pence said about Trump and what Trump has said. "Pence in this debate was like a candidate from an alternate universe where his running mate wasn't Donald Trump," he argued. "As much as Pence lied about Trump's record, pundits declared him the winner last night on style. His calm demeanor got glowing reviews, specifically in comparison to Donald Trump's terrible debate performance — and apparently that made Trump very jealous." Meyers spent the last minute flat-out trolling Trump about Pence's superior performance, and you can watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Today's political cartoons - December 22, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - the long and short of it, trigger finger, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published