A Closer Look: Seth Meyers calls Trump’s town hall unhinged

Late Night With Seth Meyers used A Closer Look to cover President Donald Trump’s coronavirus town hall on Fox News.

President Donald Trump has often found an excuse to compare himself favorably to President Abraham Lincoln. The latest came as he sat in front of the Lincoln Memorial for a Fox News town hall that Seth Meyers called “unhinged” in “A Closer Look.”

President Trump has invoked President Lincoln’s name when talking about his approval in the Republican Party, his accomplishments, and his treatment of minorities. Almost always, it is President Trump making these comparisons rather than any historian or unbiased observer.

Things went one step further during President Trump’s town hall interview on Fox News. Once again complaining about the press, he argued that even President Lincoln wasn’t treated as poorly as he has been treated by reporters.

The comparison caught the attention of Late Night with Seth Meyers and just about everybody else who was paying attention. The town hall was the subject of Monday night’s “A Closer Look” as Meyers described the “unhinged” event that was supposed to reassure Americans about COVID-19.

President Trump’s press briefings have been cited by Meyers as proof that there is an absence of leadership. This town hall interview further cemented Meyers’ belief that President Trump doesn’t have the capacity to handle the pandemic or can stay attentive long enough to even discuss it.

It is no surprise that this town hall was broadcasted by Fox News. It still remains the president’s favorite media outlet, even though OAN is making a strong push. And Fox News can’t pull off an interview with the president without painting a bullseye on itself for late night comedians like Meyers.

Meyers criticizes the Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum for letting President Trump ramble, not fact-checking anything, and acting more like an improv audience than reporters. In fairness, nobody has been able to keep President Trump on topic during an interview and the moderators weren’t going to risk Fox News staying in the White House’s favor by challenging the president.

Instead, President Trump is subject to fact-checking in real time by medical experts. “A Closer Look” points to several examples in which President Trump appears unprepared or unaware of what is going on relative to COVID-19 and treatments. But that is an expected result when the president’s information is coming from Fox News, says Meyers.

More and more, Seth Meyers has been referring to Fox News as “state TV.” It is all fans need to know about how the Late Night host views the feedback loop between the network and President Donald Trump…and why he calls it “unhinged.”