Seth Meyers Says Trump is “Incapable of Empathy” and Will Let Americans Die to Reopen the Economy

Late Night host Seth Meyers slammed President Donald Trump over his insistence that the national economy reopen and his push for states to lift their stay-at-home orders, saying that his lack of empathy compels him to let Americans die to return to business as usual.

“You would think that putting aside his venality, his narcissism, and his deadly incompetence, Donald Trump could, at the very least, muster a little empathy for the victims of this pandemic, their loved ones, and the millions who have put themselves in harm’s way, lost jobs, or made tremendous personal sacrifices during this crisis,” Meyers said. “But of course, he can’t do that, because he’s incapable of empathy. He only has two emotions: boredom and rage.”

Meyers also took Trump to task for comments he made earlier this week referring to Americans as “warriors.”

“The people of our country are warriors,” Trump said on Tuesday. “I’m not saying anything is perfect. Yes, will some people be affected? Yes. Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have to get our country opened, and we have to get it open soon.”

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Of that statement, Meyers said: “Trump wants you to be a warrior while he sits safely isolation at the White House. I would join in, but I feel another bone spur coming on—which is devastating to me, because the last one happened right before the Vietnam War. I mean, what are the chances that happens again now?”

“This is truly sadistic,” Meyers continued. “The president is telling you to go out and face off against this deadly virus all for the sake of the stock market. The only way that could be more out of touch is if he said it while dousing himself in Purell and holding a 36-pack of toilet paper.”

You can watch the Late Night segment below.

The president is hastening to reopen the economy and news broke earlier this morning that his administration shelved a 17-page report by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) team titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework.”

The CDC’s document reportedly contains more detail than the “Opening Up America Again” guidelines released by the White House last month. The White House’s guidelines are vaguer than the CDC’s, suggesting that state and local governments can reopen in accordance with federal and local “regulations and guidance,” including monitoring employees for symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

The president, who often boasted about the state of the economy during his term, now presides over the highest unemployment rate the country has ever seen.

The Department of Labor reported that an additional 3.2 million Americans filed first-time claims for unemployment benefits last week, after factoring in seasonal adjustments, which are used to account for seasonal hiring fluctuations. Without those adjustments, the number is 2.8 million.

The total number of unemployed Americans now stands at more than 33 million. The weekly numbers have declined since reaching a peak of 6.9 million claims in late March.

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.