Seth Meyers nods at Hillary Clinton's historic milestone, praises Bernie Sanders

Seth Meyers looks at how Bernie Sanders changed America — (Image credit: Late Night)

On Wednesday's Late Night, Seth Meyers took a look at the previous day's big elections, ending with Hillary Clinton's win in California, the fourth of six states she won on Tuesday. Clinton gathered enough delegates to become the presumptive Democratic nominee, the first woman to ascend to a major American political party's presidential nomination. Whatever you think of Clinton, that's a great step forward, Meyers said. "Hillary's achievement was historic, especially when you consider just how much casual sexism she, or any woman in public life, faces on a daily basis." He focused on critiques of Clinton's voice, then ended with a nice riff on Donald Trump's voice.

Meyers spent a little time poking at Trump, noting among other things that Trump took credit for "breaking the glass ceiling" by hiring women. "Only Donald Trump could look at the glass ceiling and go, 'Let me get that for you, sweetheart,'" Meyers said. He also pointed to a California polling place inside a funeral home, and took aim at the House speaker: "That's right, you could pick up a casket while you voted — a convenient arrangement for Paul Ryan, who recently had to bury his dignity." But most of Meyers' "closer look" was about Bernie Sanders. "With the race now drawing to a close, it's also worth taking a moment to remember how improbable Bernie Sanders' success in this campaign has been," Meyers said, beginning a valedictory look at the hurdles Sanders overcame (media skepticism, Clinton political machine) and the things he accomplished. Watch through to the last punchline, though — it's a good one. Peter Weber

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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.