Seth Meyers takes a closer look at Trump's 'bizarre' comments on the Civil War
In recent days, President Trump has made some interesting remarks about, among other things, the Civil War, Andrew Jackson, and how surprisingly difficult it is to be president, and Seth Meyers can't help but poke fun at his "childlike naiveté colliding with reality."
On Monday's Late Night, Meyers showed a montage of pre-election Trump saying multiple times how "easy" it would be to change up health care and create new jobs, followed by Trump's recent revelation that it's actually pretty hard to be president. Speaking to Reuters, Trump said he "loved my previous life," and he "thought it would be easier" to be POTUS. "You thought the presidency would be easier than being a game show host?" Meyers asked. "There's a reason Abraham Lincoln is on the $5 and not Alex Trebek."
Meyers also mocked Trump for going on a "bizarre tangent" earlier Monday regarding Jackson and his "anger" over the Civil War, which didn't take place until 16 years after his death. In an interview on SiriusXM's POTUS channel, Trump declared that "people don't ask that question, but why was there the Civil War?" Oh yes, Meyers said, "no one ever asked why was there a Civil War. And who could forget those searing letters from soldiers on the battlefield? 'Dearest Elizabeth, I write to you from the front lines, where the Civil War rages on for whatever reason. Today, I bayonetted my own brother. 'For what purpose?' he cried out, and I of course, could only respond, 'I do not know. Nobody knows.'" Find out how the "letter" ends in the video 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.
-
What does the fall in net migration mean for the UK?Today’s Big Question With Labour and the Tories trying to ‘claim credit’ for lower figures, the ‘underlying picture is far less clear-cut’
-
Has Putin launched the second nuclear arms race?In Depth Historian Serhii Plokhy explains why the Kremlin’s nuclear proliferation has begun a dangerous new era of mutually assured destruction
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
