Seth Meyers didn’t mince words when it came to President Donald Trump’s dubious claims about his so-called triumphs in the Iran conflict: “He lies.”
On Wednesday’s “Late Night,” Meyers set the stage for his punchy retort by highlighting a bombshell from the New York Times, revealing that U.S. intelligence suggests Iran’s military is far more formidable than Trump would have you believe.
“Oh, I can explain,” Meyers quipped. “He lies.”
Catch that zinger at the 49-second mark:
The Times report this week seemed to obliterate Trump’s grandiose claims that the U.S. had “decimated” Iran’s military might, and that “never in the history of warfare has an enemy suffered such a clear and devastating large-scale losses in a matter of weeks.”
Behind closed doors, U.S. intelligence briefings reveal that Iran still has access to most of its missile sites, with 30 out of 33 operational along the Strait of Hormuz. They’re not down for the count; Iran retains 70% of its mobile launchers as well.
As for the alleged fabrications, The Washington Post previously reported that Trump racked up a staggering 30,573 falsehoods during his first term alone.
But it was a moment of apparent honesty that left Trump facing a barrage of criticism before jetting off to China this week.
When a reporter pressed him on whether worries about “Americans’ financial situations” were influencing his negotiations with Iran, he shot back:
“Not even a little bit,” Trump declared. “The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran — they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”
