Seth Meyers explains to House Republicans that Congress doesn't work for the president


President Trump's approval rating just hit a record-low of 35 percent, per Gallup, Seth Meyers said on Thursday's Late Night. "And this is supposed to be the honeymoon period! Trump should be good at those — he's had three of them." This is worse than Nixon during Watergate and George W. Bush after Hurricane Katrina, Meyers said, and he had some ideas why even some Trump supporters are souring on the president — starting with the Russia investigation.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) "has basically done everything he can to delay or interfere with his own investigation, raising the question of whether he's investigating Trump or working for Trump." Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) answered that earlier Thursday, telling MSNBC that Nunes "works for the president, answers to the president." Meyers suggested that Yoho and probably Nunes need a remedial civics lesson. "Congress does not work for the president," he said. "If Congress always did what the president told them to do, [former President Barack Obama] would not have left office looking like this," illustrating his point with a photo of a very tired, gray Obama.
But amazingly, the Nunes story got even "weirder" on Thursday, when The New York Times traced Nunes' sources for possible incidental, legal eavesdropping on Trump's team back to the White House. "That means Nunes went to the White House to brief Trump on information he got from the White House," Meyers said. "It's like when you send yourself an email reminder and two minutes later go, 'Oh, a new email.'" White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer dished up a flavorless word salad when asked about the report. "I'll bet Sean Spicer fantasizes about having an easier job," Meyers said, "like Bill Cosby's publicist."
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.
Meyers spent a few minutes on the GOP-passed bill to allow internet providers to sell your private internet data without permission, suggesting it's "hypocritical for so-called small government conservatives to support such a far-reaching measure" and questioning whether non-computer-user Trump even knows what's in the bill he's expected to sign. Then Meyers wrapped it all together. "So Trump couldn't get his health-care bill passed, his White House seems to be meddling with the investigation into his team's alleged Russia ties, and he wants companies to be able to see your browser history." That "raises one simple question, he said: Who still trusts this president? Watch below. Peter Weber
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.
-
Should you downsize for retirement? Here's what to consider.
The Explainer Moving to a smaller place may seem easier, but there are also some real benefits to staying put
-
What to do if you want to move but don't want to give up your low mortgage rate
the explainer 30-year mortgage rates are currently averaging 7% — and homeowners who secured rates closer to 3% during the pandemic are reluctant to sell their homes
-
Sudoku medium: September 1, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle