Seth Meyers kicked off his “A Closer Look” segment on a serious note Thursday night, mourning the still-burning fires in Los Angeles and the devastation they’ve caused so far. But he also had some choice words for Donald Trump’s response to the disaster, spending the entire rest of the segment eviscerating the president-elect for it.
In teeing up the segment, Meyers noted that he and just about everyone working on “Late Night” has loved ones in California and sent all those affected thoughts and love. He also encouraged everyone in the area to follow the safety guidance of officials and applauded everyone who has helped out thus far.
“It’s as clear as ever that people just desperately want to help one another, which is why we deserve leaders and institutions who will do the same,” Meyers said. “I think it’s also important to say again, in this moment, that climate change is real. It is an imminent and existential threat to the lives and safety of Americans and we must treat it like the crisis it is.”
Then, he promptly turned his attention to those aforementioned leaders and institutions.
“Unfortunately, there are politicians who would rather spread lies about the emergency response,” Meyers continued. “And I’m not going to name names, but Donald Trump. His name is Donald Trump.”
The late night host shredded Trump for weighing in “not to help, but to spread bulls–t that will just make the emergency response more difficult.”
Meyers took particular issue with Trump saying that President Biden is responsible for fire hydrants running dry and FEMA having “no money” (even though Project 2025, from which Trump tried to distance himself during his campaign but is actually spearheaded by many of his cabinet picks, would gut FEMA, according to MSNBC’s Ali Velshi).
“Trump is lying. Southern California does not have a shortage of water for fighting the fires. There is no relationship between federal and state water management and the intensity of these fires or the ability of people to fight these fires,” Meyers explained.
“Some hydrants were running dry, not because the region ran out of water, but because pressure drops with high demand, making it harder to move water around,” he added.
Trump also accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom of refusing to sign a document called the Water Restoration Declaration, which apparently is not a document that exists.
“Of course it doesn’t exist,” Meyers retorted. “You can tell just from the phrase Water Restoration Declaration, which sounds super f–king made up. It sounds like a name a bunch of stoners would make up for their bong.”
Jokes aside, Meyers remained frustrated and again touted the actions of first responders.
“Firefighters and emergency workers are showing tremendous bravery and courage, and the thousands of Los Angeles residents who have been impacted by this tragedy have shown incredible solidarity and kindness,” he said. “They deserve similar compassion from their leaders.”
You can watch Seth Meyers’ full “A Closer Look” segment in the video, above.
