As President-elect Donald Trump continues to announce his cabinet picks – a list of loyalists ranging from Matt Gaetz who has been investigated for sex crimes for U.S. Attorney General to South Dakota governor Kristi Noem who kills puppies to head Homeland Security – the late-night hosts have been pondering what is shaping up to be a Trump administration fueled by vengeance.
In Wednesday’s segment of “Closer Look,” Seth Meyers commented on Wednesday’s brief show of cordiality after President Joe Biden invited his predecessor to the White House, a ceremonial tradition Trump avoided in 2020. “Looking forward to having a … smooth transition” and making sure that the president-elect and his team “will do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated,” Myers joked that the tension in the room was “palpable.”
“While Biden is looking for ways to accommodate Trump, Trump is looking for ways to undo everything Biden has done. “For example, Trump has been actively assembling his own Pandora’s box of goblins and freaks,” Myers continued. “Trump is going to cheat on the government like a bunch of lemmings on ketamine.”
The late-night host also criticized Trump’s announcement that Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). In his statement on Tuesday, Trump announced that the two businessmen would be tasked with paving the way for his administration to “dismantle government bureaucracy, cut redundant regulations, slash wasteful spending, and restructure federal agencies.”
“Elon Musk is the richest man in the world and has contracts with the Department of Defense and ties to foreign governments. “These companies are regulated by the federal government,” Myers said. “And now he’s basically a co-chairman. He’s ridiculously corrupt.”
To underscore the president-elect’s preference for hardcore MAGA loyalty over experience, Myers mocked Trump’s decision to pick Fox News personality Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense.
“That’s right, the Fox News host will be in charge of the Department of Defense. I know it sounds bad, but it’s either him or the general,” the late-night host said, referring to the mustachioed mascot behind the public insurance company.