Seth Meyers: A Closer Look at Steve Bannon’s arrest and wall scam

Seth Meyers reacted to the arrest of President Trump’s ex-adviser Steve Bannon

President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager and former chief strategist Steve Bannon was arrested on fraud charges stemming from a scam involving a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. As Seth Meyers explained in “A Closer Look,” it’s another example of how Trump’s world is rotten from the inside out.

Bannon and three others were arrested for their role in We Build the Wall, a crowdsourcing effort to fund construction of a border wall. According to federal agents, Bannon and the others took hundreds of thousands of dollars from the $25 million they raised for personal expenses and luxury purchases.

It’s another name on the long list of individuals with connections to President Trump’s administration who have either been convicted, arrested, or indicted. Seth Meyers says nobody should be surprised.

Last night on Late Night, Meyers used “A Closer Look” to examine the details of Steven Bannon’s scam. Along the way, Meyers couldn’t help but take some satisfaction from Bannon having his turn in cuffs.

Seth Meyers showed how Steven Bannon’s arrest illustrates what Trumpism is all about

Seth Meyers couldn’t come up with a better way to sum up the era of President Donald Trump than Steven Bannon’s arrest and wall grift. Building a border wall and having Mexico pay for it was what Donald Trump’s entire 2016 campaign was built on from a policy perspective. But as Meyers points out, that was a scam.

And those in President Trump’s orbit convinced everyday Americans that donating to a fund would actually result in a crowdfunded border wall. That was a scam. Instead, Steve Bannon and his colleague instead allegedly skimmed money off the top with Bannon taking at least $1 million for himself.

“A Closer Look” then pivots to break down how the Bannon arrest encapsulates “Trumpism.” Meyers calls out Bannon’s grift and compares it to President Trump who has enriched himself while in office through the use of his private golf clubs and hotels.

President Trump may have said he was surprised by the Bannon arrest but Meyers wasn’t. The Late Night host quickly reminds viewers of how many criminals and alleged criminals have worked for President Trump, how many scams Donald Trump was involved in prior to running for president, and how many scams have come around again related to the pandemic.

It all adds up to a man and an administration that you can’t take at face value, argues Meyers. The grifts, scams, and self-dealing used in the private sector came with the president to the White House and Meyers can’t really see where any of it ends. It’s all the more reason why the Late Night host wants change in the upcoming election.

This edition of “A Closer Look” deserves some extra praise. As Meyers noted, the show scrapped an already completed segment of “A Closer Look” to cover Steve Bannon’s arrest. Late Night didn’t miss a beat and delivered yet another entertaining, insightful, and much-needed commentary.

What did you think of this installment of “A Closer Look”? Share your thoughts in the comment section. Keep checking Last Night On for more from Late Night with Seth Meyers and the rest of late-night television.