During times of trouble and strife, the American people look to their president for guidance and reassurance that the government can handle a crisis, but as Hurricane Florence comes barreling toward the Carolinas, they won't be getting any of that from President Trump, Seth Meyers said on Wednesday's Late Night.
On Tuesday, Trump described the hurricane as "tremendously big and tremendously wet," and praised the government's maligned response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year. At least 3,000 people died because of Maria, yet Trump called relief efforts "an unsung success," and even doubled down on Wednesday, tweeting that the government "did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico ... an inaccessible island."
None of that is true, Meyers said, including the part about Puerto Rico being inaccessible ("There's a Jet Blue flight there every half hour," he noted), but it's not surprising that Trump is having a hard time calming people down because he is so freaked out over Bob Woodward's new book, Fear. The book is filled with interviews with people who, while believing Trump is unfit for office, still work for him and claim that they are able to manage him.
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.
This is an issue, Meyers said, because Trump is "the president. You shouldn't have to control him. You're talking about him like he just escaped from Skull Island. 'He's about to tweet something, quick, shoot him with a tranquilizer dart.'" If there's any lesson in all of this, it's that "there are no adults in the room, and even if there were, there's nothing they could do," Meyers said. "The problem begins and ends with Trump and the Republicans supporting him." Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia
-
Grokipedia: Elon Musk’s Wikipedia ‘rip-off’Talking Point AI-powered online encyclopaedia seeks to tell a ‘new version of the truth’
-
7 sweet experiences for chocolate loversThe Week Recommends Treat yourself with chocolate experiences, both internal and external
-
Scientists have developed a broad-spectrum snake bite antivenomUnder the radar It works on some of the most dangerous species
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
