Seth Meyers: Trump Is Trying to ‘Gaslight the Country’ Over Family Separation Policy
The Trump administration has managed to do something that is holding everyone’s attention for several days in a row with no breaks. That thing is Donald Trump’s policy of separating immigrant parents from their children at the border and locking up children in detention camps, which meant it was the talk of late night on Monday. Seth Meyers spent a new “A Closer Look” segment ripping Trump and pals over the issue.
“If this policy strikes you as monstrous, and inhumane, and cruel, then you’re a decent person. In other words, you are not attorney general Jeff Sessions,” Meyers said. “Last week, Sessions defended the policy by citing the Bible.”
The comment Meyers mentioned is one that was played ad nauseam to the chagrin of pretty much everyone, in which Sessions said this while sporting a wide grin: “I would cite you the apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.”
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“Oh, look at Sessions’ face. Have you seen a creepier smile?” Meyers asked. “He cites the Bible like a guy challenging someone else’s word in Scrabble. ‘Well, I’m sorry, but Mr. Dictionary doesn’t see your word. It’s just not in here.’
“Also, you know who’s gotta be really pissed right now? The apostle Paul. You never hear anything about that dude, and then all of a sudden he gets blamed for this s—. I know he is an apostle so he doesn’t swear, but seriously. It’s hard not to believe he’s up there right now saying, ‘Dude, leave me the f— out of this.’ White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked how the White House could possibly defend that comment and she immediately doubled down in a tense exchange with a reporter.”
Sanders’ comment, which “Late Night” played in a clip, went like this: “I’m not aware of the attorney general’s comments or what he would be referencing. I can say that it is very biblical to enforce the law.”
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“I should note,” Meyers came back, “it’s also very biblical to stone people to death, to sleep with 600 concubines, to have conversations with flaming bushes and to believe a 500-year-old man built a giant boat and put giraffes on it.”
Meyers later countered all of this rhetoric by reminding viewers why this is happening.
“Now, to be clear, this is not a law. It’s a policy announced by choice by the Trump administration. You just heard Sessions and Sanders defend it. And they’re not the only ones. The New York Times reported over the weekend that one of the central figures in the Trump administration pushing for the family separation policy was none other than senior policy adviser Stephen Miller,” Meyers said as an image of Miller appeared on screen and a loud blast of thunder caused him to recoil.
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“Over the weekend, Miller briefly took human form to take credit for the policy, telling the Times, ‘it was a simple decision by the administration to have a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry period.’ ‘The message is that no one is exempt from immigration law.’ Wow, you know you’re evil when you want credit for a policy this cruel. Miller is like a serial killer who leaves clues for the police. In fact, he didn’t even give that quote to the Times — he just cut out letters from a magazine and slipped it under a reporter’s door.”
Then Meyers reiterated his main point.
“So again, to be absolutely clear, this is not a law. It’s a choice by the administration and they can end it right now. And yet Trump is trying to gaslight the country into thinking it’s actually the Democrats’ fault that this policy exists,” Meyers said. “Watch as he just keeps repeating the lie over and over as reporters explain to him that he’s wrong.”
“Late Night” then pulled up a clip of Trump doing exactly that.
“Here’s what’s really going on. Trump is doing this as a bargaining chip. He’s holding these children hostage so that he can get his border wall. A White House official told the Washington Post last week the thinking in the building is to force people to the table. And Trump himself has said as much in his tweets and in his comments to reporters.”
Meyers was specifically referring to a tweet in which Trump said that “Any immigration bill must have full funding for the wall and catch and release, visa lottery and chain and go to merit-based immigration.” And his comment on TV in which he said, “The Democrats gave us the laws. Now, I want the laws to be beautiful, humane but strong.”
“Beautiful, humane and strong. Trump’s lies are starting to sound like the Tinder profile of a Russian scammer trying to catfish you. ‘My name is Kelsey, I am 21, beautiful, humane and strong. You send bank routing number now please?’
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This policy is monstrous and morally repugnant and it is being done in our name. Any elected official who doesn’t call for an immediate end to it is complicit. And anyone associated with it should resign in disgrace.”
You can watch all of the “A Closer Look” segment from Monday’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” in the video embedded at the top of this post.
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