Overview
- President Donald Trump blasted Seth Meyers on Truth Social on Saturday, calling him a "truly deranged lunatic" and writing that being "100% ANTI TRUMP" is "PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!"
- Meyers’ latest A Closer Look segment mocked Trump’s remarks aboard the USS George Washington in Japan about preferring steam over electromagnetic catapults on aircraft carriers.
- Sen. Chris Murphy cautioned that the post reflects a belief that criticizing the president is illegal, warning of authoritarian impulses.
- NBC and Meyers had not issued a formal response as of Sunday, though the show reposted the segment; reports also note Trump described the program as live even though it is not.
- Coverage places the attack in Trump’s pattern of targeting late-night hosts and pressuring networks and regulators, and it points out Meyers’ contract was renewed through 2028 in 2024 despite Trump’s earlier insinuations.