Seth Meyers thinks he knows who leaked Donald Trump's tax returns
Even before The New York Times dropped its bombshell about Donald Trump's taxes, "it had already been one of the worst weeks for any presidential candidate in history," Seth Meyers said on Monday's Late Night. Trump's bad debate performance compounded by his public weight-shaming of a former Miss Universe ended in an early-morning tweet storm on Friday. "He tweeted 'check out sex tape,'" Meyers emphasized. "That's the Republican nominee for president sounding like your older brother's to-do list from 1988." After becoming the first presidential nominee in history to encourage people to watch porn, "how much worse could the Trump sh-tshow get?" Meyers asked.
That brought him to Trump's 1995 tax return, sent to The Times in an envelope with a Trump Tower return address. Meyers briefly speculated about who could have it out for Trump, with a "the killer is in the building!" joke, the said that "as soon as these documents were published, the Trump Team once again started falling wildly." But "here's why this revelation is so damning," Meyers said, in case you couldn't figure it out yourself. "First of all, there's the fact that Trump has consistently sold himself as a brilliant businessman who could use those skills to fix the economy. But the people who invested in Trump's companies may not agree." Trump made roughly $45 million between 1995 and 2009 as chairman or CEO of his casino company, while his ordinary investors saw their shares tank to 17 cents a share, from $35.50. "Normally to get that screwed, you actually have to go into the casino," Meyers said. "And at least then, they have the decency to give you free drinks."
"So this week showed once again how much of a scam artist Trump is, and even after all this, Trump still won't release his tax returns," Meyers said. "Just think how bad they have to be that whatever's in there is worse than a $900 million loss." He repeated his theory that Trump is hiding the fact that he's poor, then spun that into an elaborate conspiracy theory that ended fingering an unlikely culprit for the leaked tax returns. 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 - February 2, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Groundhog Day, cryptocurrency, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 sunny-side up cartoons about egg prices
Cartoons Artists take on inflated prices, double standards, and more
By The Week US Published
-
'Swimming in the sky' in northern Brazil
The Week Recommends The pools of Lençóis Maranhenses are clear and blue
By The Week UK Published
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rupert Murdoch loses 'Succession' court battle
Speed Read Murdoch wanted to give full control of his empire to son Lachlan, ensuring Fox News' right-wing editorial slant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bitcoin surges above $100k in post-election rally
Speed Read Investors are betting that the incoming Trump administration will embrace crypto
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Enron mystery: 'sick joke' or serious revival?
Speed Read 23 years after its bankruptcy filing, the Texas energy firm has announced its resurrection
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US charges Indian tycoon with bribery, fraud
Speed Read Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been indicted by US prosecutors for his role in a $265 million scheme to secure solar energy deals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published