Following Wednesday’s explosive press conference, practically every comedy writer in late night was probably tossing their jokes aside and writing new ones. After all, Donald Trump’s rant about tiny cameras and germophobia, his new law firm’s recent award, and practically everything these moments referenced were fodder enough for plenty of gags about the president-elect’s alleged ties to Russia. Hence why Late Night host Seth Meyers devoted his “Couple Things” segment to the press conference and the 24-hour news cycle that preceded it.
The former Saturday Night Live cast member was especially intrigued by Trump’s outburst at CNN reporter Jim Acosta, whose organization the mogul labeled “fake news.” It was the same insult Trump used to label BuzzFeed’s controversial report about Russia’s supposedly having leverage over him, which Meyers took issue with. That said, he had harsh words for the term “fake news”:
“Despite an incredibly short run, I think it is time to retire that term. It used to be one thing, but now everyone is using it for everything. Fake news as a term is busted… The irony of course is Trump built is political career spreading a false and outrageous claim about President Obama, and continued making baseless allegations throughout the campaign. So when you hear Kellyanne Conway dismiss these allegations as ‘nonsense from the internet,’ you may think that’s a good defense.”
“Or,” Meyers quipped, “you may also remember times Trump said stuff like this.” What follows is a collection of rally and interview clips of Trump telling supporters to “forget the press” while praising the internet for its “honesty.”
That the businessman-turned-politician benefited from viral fake news stories on Facebook and other social media platforms is generally known, but as Meyers remarked throughout this Late Night segment, the Trump team is already spinning the story the other direction. Or as the comedian concluded the bit, “Basically Trump has made his own bed and now he’s peeing in it, allegedly.”