Seth Meyers took aim at former president Donald Trump for suggesting that Vladimir Putin’s framing of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was “very savvy.”
During the “A Closer Look” segment of Wednesday’s episode of “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” the host played a clip of Trump appearing on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” days before Putin declared military action against its neighboring country.
“The entire world is aghast and horrified. The only people who could possibly think this is a good move are those unemployed fringe weirdos who go on small-time radio shows. You know, like this guy,” Meyers said before rolling the audio.
In the clip, Trump says: “I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that’s wonderful. So Putin is now saying it’s independent – a large section of Ukraine.”
“I said how smart is that? No, but think of it. Here’s a guy who’s very savvy. I know him very well. But here’s a guy who says, ‘You know, I’m gonna declare this big portion of Ukraine independent.’ He used the word independent. ‘And we’re gonna go out and we’re gonna go in and help keep peace.’ You gotta say, that’s pretty savvy,” Trump continued.
“No, you don’t gotta say that!” Meyers chimed in as the clip ended. “I mean, well, maybe you gotta say that so someone will pick you up at the Moscow airport when you flee our jurisdiction. It’s just insane that Trump is still so desperate to praise a bloodthirsty tyrant like Putin every chance he gets. Trump narrates Putin’s every move like he’s Tony Romo calling the last drive of a playoff game.”
Meyers then added that Putin’s own advisors “look scared” about his next move. Meanwhile, “Trump’s watching Russian tanks roll into Ukraine with pompoms in his hand, calling it genius.”
Watch the full segment of “A Closer Look” in the video above.