President Donald Trump renewed his ongoing feud with late-night television Thursday night, this time taking aim at Seth Meyers after a segment that hit uncomfortably close to home. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr amplified Trump's Truth Social post, which branded Meyers with "Trump Derangement Syndrome," called his show a "Ratings DISASTER," and demanded NBC fire him immediately.
The FCC chairman's decision to share the post raised eyebrows. Attorney Gregg Nunziata questioned on social media why the head of a federal regulatory agency would be promoting such content.
The Segment That Sparked the Backlash
So what set Trump off this time? Meyers opened his show with a pointed observation: "The president's top aides held an emergency meeting in the Situation Room yesterday, not because of some conflict or global crisis, but because his name is in newly released emails from Jeffrey Epstein."
The late-night host didn't stop there. He dissected Trump's recent interview with Fox host Laura Ingraham about H-1B visas, where the president claimed Americans lack certain skills. Meyers also highlighted Trump's declining approval numbers. The segment included a mocking observation about Trump looking sad while declaring "It's a great day," with Meyers noting he had "never seen anyone look so sad while saying the words, 'It's a great day.'"
The Numbers Behind the Criticism
Meyers had reason to discuss approval ratings. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey shows just 33% of American adults currently approve of Trump's government management. That's a 10-point drop from March. The erosion extends even to his base—only about two-thirds of Republicans support the president, down 13 points from earlier this year.
A Pattern of Late-Night Feuds
This isn't Trump's first rodeo with late-night hosts. Back in September, he celebrated on Truth Social when ABC canceled Jimmy Kimmel Live!, calling the show "ratings challenged" and dismissing Kimmel as having "ZERO talent" with ratings worse than Stephen Colbert.
That same post went after the entire late-night lineup. Trump labeled Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers as "two total losers" on "Fake News NBC" with poor ratings, urging the network to take action. It seems the president has been keeping a running scorecard of late-night slights—and he's not afraid to share his reviews.
