On his first show since President Donald Trump called him a “truly deranged lunatic” on social media, late-night host Seth Meyers said he would normally disregard an unhinged verbal attack.
“I try to live by the New Yorker’s creed: When someone is ranting and raving about you, ignore them,” Meyers said on Monday’s “Late Night.” “Chances are they’re just going to move on and rant about something else.”
But, of course, he couldn’t resist.
“You can say I’m untalented. You can say I’m deranged. But I’m not the one who talks endlessly about catapults on aircraft carriers!” said Meyers, who mocked Trump last week for talking about catapults more than Wile E. Coyote. “You’re the one who talks endlessly about catapults on aircraft carriers!”
He then played a series of clips from Trump speeches in which the president repeatedly – more than 30 times, in all – talked about catapults.
Meyers also joked about Trump’s renovation of the bathroom in the Lincoln Bedroom, which the president has posted about six times (so far) on Truth Social.
“But if you’re worried you won’t be able to afford your next meal, good news: Donald Trump renovated a bathroom in the White House,” said Meyers, a reference to the Trump administration’s plan to make only partial payments for the food stamp program known as SNAP.
“I would love to know how Trump came to the conclusion that the changes were appropriate for the time of Lincoln,” Meyers added. “Does he think Abraham Lincoln was a high roller who loved gold trash cans?”
Lastly, the late-night host and New Hampshire native wondered if maybe Lincoln has been misunderstood this whole time.
“Every story I’ve heard about Lincoln is like, ‘He did his homework with a lump of coal on the back of a shovel in the pouring rain,’ or ‘Did you know he put himself through law school by eating mud for eight cents a day’? But to hear Trump talk, Lincoln was, what, best friends with Hugh Hefner?”
Mark Shanahan can be reached at mark.shanahan@globe.com. Follow him @MarkAShanahan.