Seth Meyers doesn’t forget Trump’s coronavirus comparisons to the flu

As social distancing guidelines are extended, Seth Meyers pushes back against President Donald Trump in A Closer Look.

If you’re not used to it by now, you’ll have plenty of time to adjust to seeing Late Night with Seth Meyers recorded at the host’s home. Social distancing guidelines have been extended, meaning Seth Meyers will continue to take “A Closer Look” from his house as President Donald Trump continues to change his story on COVID-19.

Social distancing protocols are expected to go beyond April at this point. Public gatherings, sporting events, and media productions will continue to either be canceled or go on under unusual circumstances. For Late Night, that means broadcasting from Meyers’ attic.

That was the latest location used on Wednesday night. Meyers reacted to the social distancing recommendations as well as President Trump’s latest attempt to rewrite his own personal history.

In “A Closer Look” Meyers reminded his audience and President Trump that the novel coronavirus was once dismissed as nothing more than the flu. With President Trump now suggesting he never made such a comparison, Meyers had to speak up:

Meyers starts by re-examining all the ways in which President Trump and his administration were unprepared for a pandemic. Much of Meyers’ criticism can be found in previous editions of “A Closer Look” as the Late Night host has been on top of this story from the start.

And one of the benefits of covering it so closely is that Meyers has an archive of every clip featuring President Trump discussing COVID-19. So when President Trump tried to say he never compared the novel coronavirus to the flu, Meyers was easily able to counter using the president’s own words.

Meyers has never hesitated to insult President Trump’s intelligence. Yet the comedian shifts from amused to concerned when he sees how President Trump influences public perception. The example here is others who called COVID-19 the flu and suggested the same approaches be used. That sort of misconception initially propped up by President Trump doesn’t help stop the spread.

While some coverage wanted to give credit for President Donald Trump’s changing tone, Seth Meyers saw it as proof that he’s ill-equipped to lead. And if that tone changes once again, fans can be sure that Late Night will take a closer look. For more information about COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website or the website for your state’s Department of Health.