'Trump's our dictator': David Letterman's condemnation of President Trump goes viral
Amid the President Donald Trump vs Jimmy Kimmel row, retired late-night show host David Letterman's defense of fellow comedian/host Seth Meyers has gained renewed attention. Late last year, Meyers faced similar pressure from Trump, who demanded that he be fired over his criticism of the administration. At the time, Letterman expressed that it was a ridiculous move and called the administration "just a wonder of idiocy" and Trump a "dictator."
Last year, Trump and Meyers were locked in a showdown, with the President attacking the comedian's show and demanding that he be fired. Appearing on the 'Barbara Gaines Show', Letterman addressed the repeated call-outs on social media, sharing his blunt opinion on it. "The President of the United States now wants to fire Seth Meyers, and I thought, 'This is just delightful. How do you think that's going to go?'" Letterman quipped. He praised the comedian's work, calling him a "good friend" and claiming he has "never been more proud" of Meyers.
Letterman then went on to blast the President's demands, calling the administration "just a wonder of idiocy". He went on to add, "It's just fantastic. It knows no bounds. And never-ending. He's our current, he's our dictator. He's not going anywhere." He claimed it was worse than any bad human behavior he's ever seen. "Think of the worst thing that you've ever seen humans accomplish. This is so much worse," Letterman scathed.
The criticism came a week after Trump called upon NBC to fire the "Late Night with Seth Meyers" host, accusing him of having "Trump Derangement Syndrome". On Truth Social, Trump claimed Meyers had a "ratings disaster" and then demanded that the network fire him "IMMEDIATELY!" Soon, his demand was backed by FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who reposted a screenshot of the president's rant on X.
An eerily similar situation unfolded late last month when the host of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" made a joke about the U.S. First Lady, Melania Trump, saying she looked like an "expectant widow" in a sketch on his show. Days later, at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, a gunman charged through security, attempting to storm the event. Following the incident, both the President and the First Lady slammed the comedian's jokes, demanding that ABC take action. Trump on Thursday doubled down on his demands as he wrote in his Truth Social post: "When is ABC Fake News Network firing seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of the Lowest Rated shows on Television?" He added that "People are angry. It better be soon!!!"
Like last year, the FCC followed up, ordering an early review of the ABC licenses. While the department claimed it was part of its ongoing investigation into the network owner, Disney's diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, critics have questioned the timing of the move and viewed it as a way to create pressure on the network. However, Kimmel stood his ground, claiming that if ratings were the reason, both he and the President should be out of a job. "If incompetently presiding over not just one of, but the lowest rating in history, is the reason I should be fired, we should both be out of a job, because you're not doing too well either," he said.
