Seth Meyers: A Closer Look at Trump’s leadership crisis
By Matt Moore
A Closer Look returned from Seth Meyers’s home to examine President Donald Trump’s ongoing response to COVID-19.
“A Closer Look” made its return to the airwaves on Monday as Late Night with Seth Meyers decided it couldn’t stay quiet any longer. Despite the show’s suspension during the novel coronavirus outbreak, host Seth Meyers delivered a scathing examination of the current state of affairs.
When self-isolation began and gatherings around the world were canceled, late night television also took a step back. It took a few days but the hosts and staff at these programs soon found a way to work around quarantine to delivering something to fans.
Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon have come the closest to producing full shows, complete with guest interviews. Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah have released monologues reacting to the day’s news. Conan O’Brien continues to put out videos from home on top of his regularly scheduled podcasts.
Fans had not heard from Late Night with Seth Meyers since it released a dress rehearsal version of “A Closer Look” on March 12. Meyers spent that week with his family, occasionally posting his recommendations for books, television shows, and more.
But on Monday night, Meyers followed the lead of Kimmel, Fallon, and others by turning on a camera at home. From his hallway, Meyers filmed a new edition of “A Closer Look” that examined the public health, economic, and leadership crises currently hitting the country.
Fans have definitely noticed the absence of “A Closer Look” so even in his hallway, Seth Meyers is a welcomed sight. Like the other programs, Late Night with Seth Meyers is under no obligation to make content for the public. Whether it is to stave off complete boredom or to deliver a public service, many fans are extremely grateful Meyers and his team has chosen to speak up.
Meyers wasn’t going to let President Donald Trump forget what he said about the novel coronavirus in the past. The Late Show host was one of the first to attack President Trump for calling criticism of the White House over the outbreak a “hoax” and attempt to downplay the severity.
Much of this edition of “A Closer Look” is focused on President Trump’s misplaced attention. Meyers wonders why the president is so obsessed with the media coverage and what people are saying about him instead of the actual health crisis. It is somehow both surprising and not surprising to hear President Trump still whining about cable news networks.
President Trump isn’t the only person in Washington, D.C. called out by Meyers. Senator Rand Paul is cited as another example of a leader not taking things seriously. Senator Paul’s novel coronavirus test didn’t stop him from meeting with other lawmakers or going to the gym and pool. It’s not exactly setting the standard for how the rest of the country should be acting to flatten the curve.
Meyers started things off by saying that “A Closer Look” is how Late Night processes the news and tries to make sense of everything. The segment has the same effect on millions of viewers, making it one of the most popular features in late night television. Those fans are undoubtedly grateful that Meyers is now sharing his voice of reason and sense of humor with them during these trying times.
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It’s unclear if Seth Meyers will continue to deliver something new every night this week or release content more sporadically. What we do know is that there won’t be any shortage of material for Late Night or any drop in the demand from fans. Stay tuned.