Seth Meyers sees too many parallels between the Trump and George W. Bush administrations


It has been less than two weeks since Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed in an airstrike authorized by President Trump, and Trump still can't get his story straight about why he approved the operation, Seth Meyers said on Monday's Late Night.
Trump has finally settled on claiming that Soleimani was going to target U.S. embassies, but he keeps changing the number. "In the span of two days, he went from not talking about embassies at all to saying it was one embassy to saying it was multiple embassies to saying it was four embassies," Meyers said. "I know Trump is a bad liar, but even for him it's obvious he's making stuff up off the top of his head." Putting on his best Trump voice, he added: "What if it was four embassies? Is that a number where you would all leave me alone? What if they were Embassy Suites, that would be bad, right?"
Even Trump's team is having a hard time keeping up with his lies, Meyers said, and that reminds him of the George W. Bush administration. They did the same thing before the Iraq War, with Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice all lying "repeatedly" about the intelligence they used to justify invading Iraq, he said. That's "eerily similar" to what's going on today.
Subscribe to 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.
"They claimed definitively that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and had ties to the terrorists who carried out 9/11," Meyers said. "They manipulated intelligence and concocted all kinds of lies about that intelligence to justify an immoral and catastrophic war that destabilized the region and the world." Watch Meyers explain more parallels between Trump and Bush in 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.
-
How will the new Repayment Assistance Plan for student loans work?
the explainer The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace existing income-driven repayment plans
-
In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
-
Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black Keys
Feature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Feds seek harsh charges in DC arrests, except for rifles
Speed Read The DOJ said 465 arrests had been made in D.C. since Trump federalized law enforcement there two weeks ago
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'
-
DC protests as Trump deployment ramps up
Speed Read Trump's 'crusade against crime' is targeting immigrants and the homeless
-
Ukraine, European leaders to meet Trump after Putin talks
Speed Read Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week
-
Border agents crash Newsom redistricting kickoff
Speed Read Armed federal Border Patrol agents amassed outside the venue where the California governor and other Democratic leaders were gathered
-
Man charged for hoagie attack as DC fights takeover
Speed Read The Trump administration filed felony charges against a man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent