Donald Trump visited Los Angeles this week to see the damage of the wildfires in person and, while there, couldn’t stop marveling at how many trees survived the blazes because they were “soaking wet.” But that particular word choice sent a bit of a chill down Seth Meyers‘ spine.
To kick off his “A Closer Look” segment on Monday night, Meyers first mourned that “too much stuff” has already happened in the first week of Trump’s second presidency. “Say what you want about Joe Biden, but I’m pretty sure by the time we taped at four in the afternoon, he was out cold, and that was nice,” he joked.
So, with limited time, Meyers couldn’t touch on every one of Trump’s actions that he wanted to — but the NBC host made sure to zero in on the president’s apparent fascination with the trees.
“The trees were OK because the trees are loaded with water. They suck that water out of the ground,” Trump explained during a press confernece. “The trees, they were dark on the bottom, but they were absolutely living, and they lived because they’re soaking wet.”
“I said, ‘Look at this. The house is burned down, and the tree is standing and it’s — other than being a little different color on the bottom, and it went through an inferno.’ It’s amazing. Soaking wet,” he added.
At that, Meyers cut off the clip, making a simple plea to Trump. “Stop saying the trees were soaking wet,” Meyers begged. “Yes, trees absorb lots of water and have a higher combustion point than dry brush that is already dead. It’s like saying people in the gym are in better shape than the ones in the graveyards.”
The “Late Night” host added that that’s just a basic fact about trees, and really has no relevance that merits being brought up. That said, Meyers had a guess as to why Trump did bring it up.
“What are you even suggesting to do with this wetness? You can’t just put a faucet on the tree and say, ‘Boom, problem solved. We take a hose, hook it up to a tree, and it’s like Typhoon Lagoon out here,’” he joked.
From there, Meyers moved on, but not before re-upping his request for Trump to avoid his previous phrasing.
“I never want to hear Donald Trump or anyone say the words ‘soaking wet’ ever again,” Meyers said. “I said wetness a couple of sentences back, and I’m a little mad at myself! Sounds like a DJ doing a promo for a wet T-shirt contest for trees.”
You can watch Seth Meyers’ full “A Closer Look” segment in the video, above.
