The Chinese spy balloon has officially been shot down, but Seth Meyers still has one question: Why did China use a balloon to surveil the U.S.?
By now, you know the story: The balloon was spotted on Wednesday of last week, floating 31 miles above the ground (above commercial air traffic) and was said to be carrying a payload the size of three buses. President Joe Biden was advised to not immediately shoot it down and instead jam its signal to prevent it from operating. The White House then waited until the inflatable aircraft drifted over a body of water so that any debris would avoid causing damage or injury to U.S. citizens below.
The balloon became a main character of news coverage very quickly, and remained that until Saturday, when it was finally shot down. But, knowing the weaponry that China likely has at its disposal, Meyers was baffled by what they chose to use.
“There’s something about it being a balloon that just makes it very hard to take seriously,” he mocked. “Like, it would be one thing to send a fleet of fighter jets or a giant naval vessel. That would be scary. But a balloon? Are they trying to scare us or cheer us up at the hospital?”
So, the “Late Night” host offered his take on what the U.S. should do now that the threat of the balloon is finally gone.
“We should respond with something even dumber to flummox them,” he suggested. “Like, we should send one of those air dancers they have outside car dealerships — you know, but undercover, with a wig and a mustache.”
Elsewhere in the segment, Meyers poked fun at media reaction to the balloon, particularly honing in on Fox News. According to the host, their obsession with the balloon was similar to that of “a 5-year-old at a birthday party.”
You can watch Meyers’ full “A Closer Look” segment in the video above.