Seth Meyers squares the Trump-Frederick Douglass-Betsy DeVos circle

Seth Meyers cheers the troubles for Betsy DeVos — (Image credit: Late Night)

If you were hoping for less chaos in President Trump's second week than in his first, tough luck, Seth Meyers said on Thursday's Late Night. He recapped the highlights, starting with Trump seeming to suggest that abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who died in 1895, is still alive. Maybe Trump's awkward phrasing was just misinterpreted — but then White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was even clearer in his apparent belief that Douglass lives. "Who among us wouldn't panic if asked to recite stuff you learned in high school," Meyers said, "but how did you not have time between the president's remarks and your press briefing to Google Frederick Douglass — and not his full biography, just simple stuff like 'Is Frederick Douglass alive?'"

He moved on to the news that Trump hectored the leaders of two of America's closest allies, Mexico and Australia, on phone calls last weekend. "How antisocial do you have to be to not get along with f—ing Australia?" Meyers asked. "Australians are the most laid-back people on Earth — but of course Trump knows 'they've got some bad didgeri-dudes.'"

"Still, nothing has been more troubling than the incompetence Trump's administration displayed in rolling out his controversial travel ban on refugees and seven majority-Muslim countries," Meyers said, including whether you can even call it a "ban." He noted that the chaos has taken a hit on Trump's poll numbers, and the organized resistance to him appears to have gotten results. Two GOP senators, for example, have said they won't vote for Trump's controversial education secretary nominee, Betsy DeVos, "meaning if she loses one more vote, she will not get confirmed," Meyers said. "Which seems fair when you consider that for a possible secretary of education, she was terrible at answering yes-or-no questions." She was also, apparently, caught plagiarizing follow-up questions from senators, he noted, bringing the segment back home: "Republicans want to defund our schools and roll back public education, which could be disastrous — because then you end up not knowing who Frederick Douglass is!" Watch below. 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.