Seth Meyers explains the Trump GOP convention's blame-everything-on-Hillary strategy
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
The theme of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday was "Make America Work Again," but to Seth Meyers, it was more like "Blame Hillary Clinton for Everything."
On Wednesday's Late Night, Meyers was able to get in some zingers about Donald Trump Jr. blasting aristocrats ("It's tough to make a case against elites when you look like a money clip come to life") and the fact that it took until Wednesday morning for an apology regarding Monday's Melania Trump speech ("Late apologies will be a hallmark of the Trump administration — I imagine only 24 hours after a nuclear holocaust will a bunker-bound Trump look to his fellow survivors and say, 'My bad'"). But the bulk of his "Closer Look" on Wednesday was the convention's laser focus on Clinton — and why Trump and his speakers opted for that strategy.
Some of the attacks were "pretty tame," Meyers said, but things got very sinister when Ben Carson brought up Lucifer and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) launched a "Stalin-esque show trial" against Clinton that appointed the crowd judge and jury. After several chants of "Guilty!" and "Lock her up!" it sounded like the "Roman Coliseum, except Christie wouldn't be the emperor, he'd be the guy feeding Trump grapes," Meyers said. Of course, he reasoned, it's entirely possible that Christie — who was passed over for the VP slot in favor of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence — might have been misdirecting his anger: "I bet his feelings were so hurt part of him wanted to yell, 'Donald Trump for leading on your best friend and then pulling the rug out from under him, guilty or not guilty?'" Watch below. Catherine Garcia
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
One great cookbook: Joshua McFadden’s ‘Six Seasons of Pasta’the week recommends The pasta you know and love. But ever so much better.
-
Scientists are worried about amoebasUnder the radar Small and very mighty
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
-
Lawmakers say Epstein files implicate 6 more menSpeed Read The Trump department apparently blacked out the names of several people who should have been identified
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
