Late-night hosts discussed how the president’s decision to kill top general Qassem Suleimani has left ‘the world in a state of panic’

This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

Late-night hosts covered Donald Trump’s controversial decision to order a drone strike to kill the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani, referring to it as “reckless” and “extreme”.

Seth Meyers

On Late Night, Seth Meyers started his first show of the year by claiming that “2020 is already the worst”.

Trump and his administration have tried to justify the assassination by claiming it was ordered to stop a war. “You can’t just kill a top general of a sovereign nation and call it de-escalation,” he said. “That’s like getting drunk and driving your car into a Kmart and then telling the cops ‘I did it to stop my car.’”

On Fox & Friends, the decision was defended with the explanation that we should trust the intelligence agencies who supported it. “I’m not inclined to trust an administration that lies about everything,” Meyers said.

He countered: “Clearly this was a reckless act by an impulsive president who hasn’t thought through the consequences.”

Reports suggest that the killing of Suleimani was presented as the most extreme part of a menu of options to Trump and his people were surprised that he picked it. “Did you guys not get a briefing on him?” he said.

Stephen Colbert

On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the host referred to recent “momentous world-shaking events” before expressing concern of Trump’s “ability to wage war with no understanding of the consequences”.

Reportedly, Trump was roaming the halls of his Mar-a-Lago resort telling people that he was planning something big against Iran. Colbert joked that visitors would be met with the following: “If you make your way down to the courtyard there’s an old man giving away state secrets.”

He too referred to the menu of potential courses of action that was presented to Trump. “Quick note to the generals: the only way Trump isn’t going to order something on a menu is if it comes with vegetables,” he said.

Officials apparently offered the extreme option of killing Suleimani as a way of pushing him toward something less aggressive. “It’s like your boyfriend saying why did you pick breakup, I only put that on there so you’d be more into the threesome idea,” he said.

Trevor Noah

The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) Iraq War 2: This Time It's Persianal



Full coverage of Trump's strike on Iranian general Soleimani: pic.twitter.com/lJG6cmFk0l

On The Daily Show, Trevor Noah also spoke about the strike. “What happened to peace?” he asked. “When most people break their resolutions, they eat ice cream instead of working out. This guy rained down fire on these motherfuckers.”

After Iran threatened retaliation, Trump countered with a tweet claiming he would target cultural sites in Iran if they pushed forward. “There is no way Trump knows anything about cultural sites,” he said.

Noah was also aghast at the surprise expressed by officials who didn’t think Trump would pick the most extreme option on the menu of options. “Have you seen Trump’s apartment?” he said. “What part of his life suggests he’s going to pick middle-of-the-road options?”

He added: “Because of Trump’s extreme decision the world is in a state of panic.”