Seth Meyers takes a closer look at the GOP’s claim Trump was joking

In A Closer Look, Seth Meyers discussed the second whistleblower coming forward against President Donald Trump and the Republican defense plan.

The Ukraine scandal continues to develop and not in the way President Donald Trump would like. A second whistleblower coming forward means that Trump and his Republican supporters have to come up with a new way to defend the President. But a well-thought out strategy is not in place, says Seth Meyers.

Whereas one whistleblower may have been easy to discredit, dismiss, or even smear, a second one makes the case against President Trump that much stronger. It could also inspire others in the intelligence community to come forward with what they know about Trump’s phone call with the president of Ukraine.

President Trump hasn’t helped himself by lashing out on Twitter or even suggesting China carry out an investigation similar to the one Trump is accused of requesting from Ukraine. Still, Republican allies have tried their best to defend Trump and clear him of any wrongdoing.

Nobody in late night has examined Republican support for President Trump quite like Late Night with Seth Meyers. Whether it is over racist tweets or the Ukraine scandal, Seth Meyers has made sure his audience remembers that Trump is being enabled and backed up by Republican senators and representatives.

In Monday night’s “A Closer Look,” Meyers tried to wrap his head around the explanation that President Trump was just joking when he asked China to investigate his political rivals as well. Not surprisingly, Meyers isn’t buying it.

Meyers reminds everyone of the initial defense of Trump’s phone call with Ukraine. The President, Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Lindsay Graham, and Fox News all claimed that without a “quid pro quo,” there was nothing wrong with the conversation.

However, Democratic lawmakers and most of the country disagree as support for the impeachment inquiry continues to grow. With that mounting support for impeachment, text messages further suggesting that there was in fact a quid pro quo, and Trump inviting China to get involved, the defense of Trump’s actions have had to change on the fly.

It must be happening on the fly because that is the only explanation for the “Trump was joking” line spouted by Senator Roy Blunt, Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Jim Jordan.

Meyers seems a little annoyed at this defense, given the fact that President should not be trolling the media. Trump isn’t a shock jock on the radio trying to drum up controversy for the press. But that’s the way Meyers sees it when Republicans jump through hoops to explain the President’s behavior.

It is clear that this story is still developing. More information will be released and more whistleblowers could come forward as well. And if that happens, a new defense of President Trump will have to be conjured only to be debunked by Late Night with Seth Meyers.