Twice-impeached former president Donald Trump’s Trump Organization was fined $1.6 million by the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Friday, for felony tax fraud and other charges. It’s the maximum penalty under the law, and Seth Meyers couldn’t help but scoff at how little that amount likely is for Trump and his company.
The fine came after the Trump Organization was convicted in December of paying some of its top executives off the books, with items including luxury cars and private school tuition. The organization’s CFO Allen H. Weisselberg, who was behind the scheme, was sentenced last week to five months at Rikers Island, after pleading guilty.
To be clear, Meyers was pleased to see at least some consequences for Trump, in any of the numerous things he’s being investigated for. The late night host just also suspects that $1.6 million is literal pocket change for the former president and businessman.
“I think it’s great that Trump’s company was held criminally accountable, but only $1.6 million?” Meyers said incredulously. “That’s it? Trump probably keeps that much change in his big-ass coat. I mean look, he looks like he should be standing in line at a Coinstar machine.”
To back up his point, Meyers indeed pulled up a graphic of Trump wearing his infamous bulky suit, superimposed against a Coinstar machine.
Meyers later joked that, with such a small fine for felony tax fraud, he wouldn’t be surprised if the punishment for Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol — an ongoing investigation which just issued a new set of subpoenas last week — is even smaller.
“Now this is big, because you know what the punishment is for instigating a coup?” Meyers prefaced, before playing a clip of Dr. Evil from “Austin Powers,” saying “One million dollars.”
You can watch Meyers’ full “A Closer Look” segment in the video above.
