President Donald Trump is watching late-night TV again and sharing his thoughts about one host in particular. And once again, the president is questioning whether late-night comedians have the right to openly criticize him on air.
During a string of social media posts over the weekend, President Trump took aim at Seth Meyers. "Seth Meyers of NBC may be the least talented person to 'perform' live in the history of television," Trump posted to Truth Social. "In fact, he may be the WORST to perform, live or otherwise."
The president took particular offense to a recent bit on Late Night in which Meyers ridiculed Trump's complaints about electric catapults on aircraft carriers. Trump responded with "Why does NBC waste its time and money on a guy like this??? – NO TALENT, NO RATINGS, 100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!"
It's not the first time Trump has taken issue with Meyers. The president has repeatedly questioned Meyers' talent and called for him to lose his job. But that isn't anything unique considering Trump has maligned every late-night host from Jimmy Kimmel to Jimmy Fallon.
However, Trump calling Meyers' jokes "probably illegal" raises eyebrows. Late-night TV is in uncharted territory following Paramount's decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and ABC suspending Jimmy Kimmel over his commentary.
NBC has stuck by its late-night duo of Fallon and Meyers despite pressure from the president. But his latest comments suggest he isn't backing down. It's not hard to imagine the White House finding reason to put more heat on NBC if it doesn't like what it hears from Late Night. Many critics believe the precedent was set when Paramount ended The Late Show amid its merger negotiations with Skydance.
In this specific round of Trump vs. Meyers, it's a relatively innocuous comment that triggered the president. It all stems from a "Closer Look" segment in which Meyers joked Trump "spends more time thinking about catapults than Wile E. Coyote." Given what Meyers has said about Trump in the past, this one feels harmless and not quite worth the social media outburst.
Trump's post also seems to indicate the 79-year-old thinks Late Night with Seth Meyers is live. Either that, or he's still critiquing Meyers' performance on Saturday Night Live. Regardless, it's another example that Donald Trump cannot, or will not, stop watching late-night TV.
We'll see if the comedian decides to respond on Monday night during a brand new episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers.