Seth Meyers on the Maga schism over the Epstein files: ‘This meltdown has been years in the making’ | Late-night TV roundup

Late-night hosts dig into the rift between Donald Trump and his most ardent supporters over his refusal to launch recordsdata associated to Jeffrey Epstein.Seth MeyersA rising rift between hardcore Maga supporters and Donald Trump exploded right into a full name-calling struggle on Wednesday, when Trump advised his base to cease asking about convicted intercourse offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. “I believe Trump is basically beginning to crack beneath all this Epstein drama,” mentioned Seth Meyers on Late Night time.“For years, the Maga proper has willingly engaged in a mass delusion the place New York actual property mogul and tabloid movie star Donald Trump, the person who partied with and publicly praised Jeffrey Epstein, can be the savior who sweeps into energy and exposes large intercourse trafficking conspiracy involving essentially the most highly effective folks on earth,” he defined.Quite a few outstanding conspiracy theorists believed Trump would expose the federal government’s data on Epstein, despite the fact that he as soon as known as Epstein a “terrific man” who loved “youthful ladies”. At one level, Epstein known as Trump his “closest good friend for the previous 10 years” – “which is exceptional for 2 causes”, mentioned Meyers. “One, it’s the world’s most infamous intercourse trafficker saying he was shut pals with the president, and two, nobody stays pals with Trump for 10 years. I imply, the closest folks in his life perhaps final 6 months earlier than he activates them.”So Trump is attempting to make the Epstein cloud go away, and “it’s backfiring badly”, mentioned Meyers. On Wednesday, Trump tried a brand new technique, dismissing the Epstein recordsdata as a hoax created by Democrats – “They had been made up by Obama, they had been made up by the Biden administration,” he mentioned.“Dude, if somebody asks in case your title is within the Epstein recordsdata and also you say Obama made up the recordsdata, individuals are going to suppose your title is in these recordsdata,” Meyers responded. “As a result of the very simple reply is ‘no, after all not, that’s ridiculous, I’ve nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein!’ However Trump can’t give that reply, as a result of he’s in images with Jeffrey Epstein.”“This meltdown has been years within the making,” Meyers concluded. “Maga fixated on the Epstein case and created the delusion that Trump would expose the reality, despite the fact that Trump himself was a detailed private good friend of Epstein’s. And now they’ll’t reconcile the faux Trump they believed in with the true Trump they’re really getting.”Stephen Colbert“I don’t know what you all are speaking about, however all people I’ve talked to is speaking about what Donald Trump doesn’t need to discuss,” mentioned Stephen Colbert on Wednesday’s Late Present.That will be Jeffrey Epstein, an individual Trump has declared to be too boring to speak about. “He’s been lifeless for a very long time,” Trump mentioned exterior Air Pressure One on Tuesday. “He was by no means a giant issue by way of life.”“That sentence was by no means a giant issue by way of phrase,” Colbert quipped.Trump went on: “I don’t perceive why the Jeffrey Epstein case can be of curiosity to anyone. It’s fairly boring stuff.”“He’s proper, the Epstein saga is a complete snoozefest,” Colbert deadpanned. “I imply, essentially the most highly effective man on the earth is obstructing details about a robust cabal of the wealthy, the well-known and the royal befriending a con man who repeatedly flies off on his personal aircraft to his personal island to do tremendous unlawful intercourse stuff. Then the con man is arrested they usually’re afraid he’s going to call names however earlier than he can, he mysteriously dies proper after being taken off a suicide watch in a federal jail throughout the administration of a man who is obstructing the discharge of the knowledge. Boooooooring.”“Intercourse cults and homicide are famously boring,” he added. “That’s why they name that film Eyes Broad Shut, as a result of everybody was asleep.”Nonetheless, in a put up to Reality Social on Wednesday, Trump dismissed anybody looking for data on Epstein – “I don’t need their help anymore!”“You possibly can’t construct a model on conspiracy theories after which get mad that individuals are involved in your conspiracy theories,” Colbert retorted.The Each day ShowThe Maga schism over Epstein is “a stunning flip of occasions for Donald Trump”, mentioned Jordan Klepper on the Each day Present. “His personal sycophants are breaking ranks with him and even worse, they’re demanding accountability.”Even Lauren Boebert, one of the crucial notoriously inflammatory Republicans in Congress, recommended an outdoor particular counsel examine the dealing with of the recordsdata – although she additionally proposed or not it’s led by disgraced ex-Congressman Matt Gaetz, who resigned final yr after a federal investigation into alleged intercourse trafficking of underage women. “You need Matt Gaetz to research underage intercourse trafficking?” Klepper mused. “As a result of it is sensible in a form of ‘sport acknowledge sport’ approach… I can see Matt Gaetz pulling as much as R Kelly’s home saying ‘I’m placing collectively a workforce.’”“This particular counsel workforce would possibly’ve been the final straw, as a result of this morning, Trump completely misplaced it on his supporters,” Klepper mentioned. In a prolonged screed on Reality Social, Trump known as Maga supporters involved in Epstein “weaklings” and mentioned “I don’t need their help anymore”.“He went full messy bitch,” Klepper laughed. “‘When you can’t deal with me at my intercourse crimes coverup, you don’t deserve me at my alligator focus camp, you slut.’”