Seth Meyers implores Congress to stop 'deranged' Trump from unilaterally waging war
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President Trump brought the United States to the "brink of a disastrous war with Iran," Seth Meyers said on Wednesday's Late Night, and now it's up to Congress to make sure he doesn't trigger another unnecessary conflict.
Despite what Trump and his allies are trying to say, the crisis between the U.S. and Iran "was completely Trump's doing," Meyers said. In response to Trump authorizing an airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran on Tuesday launched missiles at Iraqi air bases housing U.S. troops. As Americans watched footage of the missiles streaking through the sky, waiting to see how Trump would react, "you think, 'God, I hope we have smart and steady leadership,'" Meyers said. "Then you say, 'Oh no.'"
On Wednesday, Trump gave an "incoherent" speech claiming "credit for ending a crisis he started." He made threats, then offered peace, all while making sure to absurdly and falsely blame former President Barack Obama for the current tense state of affairs. Presidents of both parties have been accumulating unconstitutional war powers, Meyers said, but Trump sees himself as being above the law, and that's why now is the time for lawmakers to step up.
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Congress has to stop Trump from unilaterally waging a war or triggering another conflict like this again, and can "pass a war powers resolution, block war funding, and repeal both Bush-era authorizations for the use of military force," Meyers said. "They can even keep Trump distracted by tying a chicken nugget to a Roomba and letting it loose in the White House." Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia
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.
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