The CBS comedians weren’t the only late night hosts to lose their minds at the Trump Administration’s response to the Los Angeles riots, NBC’s host of Late Night, Seth Meyers, and Comedy Central’s Monday host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, followed suit as they blamed Trump for the violence and claimed the response reeked of “authoritarianism.”
Stewart saw racism afoot, “Whether you win a basketball championship, a World Series championship, whether you have an exploding piñata gender reveal gone wrong. Congratulations, it’s a boy and an evacuation! Or you’re just protesting the Trump administration’s expanded deportation raids, LA continues to be our most flammable city. This weekend’s combustion was the very predictable result of a liberal city reliant on an immigrant population, colliding with a heavy-handed MAGA migrant trawling operation looking to hit its quota of brown poke-men. Gotta catch them all.”
Stewart also portrayed the scene as “an explosive situation, on the cusp of federalism vs. states’ rights, border control vs. due process, terrifyingly militarized sweeps vs. hard-working people in local communities, the United States Marines vs. the Postmates guy who brought you an egg sandwich.”
Later, he also appeared to endorse the rioters’ veto, “So, now predictably, these non-targeted, much broader deportation efforts in cities that feel very connected to the immigrant population is a tinderbox. And Trump happily lights the fuse. Peaceful protesters, mixed with anarchists and vandals, pushed back by horseback and teargas.”
Meanwhile, Meyers brought out the sound effects, “The point is, that’s what the Trump administration wants, a spectacle for right-wing media, a climate of fear and chaos. And no one is better suited to achieve a climate of fear than Trump’s creepiest aide, Stephen Miller. [Thunder] [Laughter ] [Witch cackle]. Miller wants terrifying mass immigration rates everywhere, regardless of whether the targets are people with criminal records or 4-year-olds. He’s a rabid authoritarian who wants to create the feeling that nowhere is safe from courthouses to 7-11s.”
If that is true, Meyers should blame the people protesting the idea of law enforcement for willingly walking into that trap. As it was, Meyers would later return to the idea of authoritarianism, “Now, let’s never forget—let’s never forget how the Trump administration bullies. They do it to provoke a response that retroactively excuses their bullying. They did this on purpose. It was not a misstep by Trump. This was a misstep by Trump. ICE didn’t come to LA to stop people who are setting cars on fire, they came to rip families apart in an act of political theater, and we can’t forget that. They want escalation. They want spectacle, because their barbaric immigration raids are wildly unpopular, so, they’re resorting to authoritarian crackdowns on protests.”
In the real world, Trump’s approval on immigration is north of 50 percent and is one of his best issues polling-wise.
Here are transcripts for the June 9-taped shows:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
6/9/2025
11:00 PM ET
JON STEWART: Whether you win a basketball championship, a World Series championship, whether you have an exploding piñata gender reveal gone wrong. Congratulations, it’s a boy and an evacuation! Or you’re just protesting the Trump administration’s expanded deportation raids, LA continues to be our most flammable city. This weekend’s combustion was the very predictable result of a liberal city reliant on an immigrant population, colliding with a heavy-handed MAGA migrant trawling operation looking to hit its quota of brown poke-men. Gotta catch them all.
…
It’s an explosive situation, on the cusp of federalism vs. states’ rights, border control vs. due process, terrifyingly militarized sweeps vs. hard-working people in local communities, the United States Marines vs. the Postmates guy who brought you an egg sandwich.
…
So, now predictably, these non-targeted, much broader deportation efforts in cities that feel very connected to the immigrant population is a tinderbox. And Trump happily lights the fuse. Peaceful protesters, mixed with anarchists and vandals, pushed back by horseback and teargas. Nothing could survive the onslaught except the attitude of teenagers. “[Bleep] You, dad — I mean, cops!”
***
NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers
6/10/2025
12:49 AM ET
SETH MEYERS: The point is, that’s what the Trump administration wants, a spectacle for right-wing media, a climate of fear and chaos. And no one is better suited to achieve a climate of fear than Trump’s creepiest aide, Stephen Miller. [Thunder] [Laughter ] [Witch cackle].
Miller wants terrifying mass immigration rates everywhere, regardless of whether the targets are people with criminal records or 4-year-olds. He’s a rabid authoritarian who wants to create the feeling that nowhere is safe from courthouses to 7-11s.
…
Now, let’s never forget — let’s never forget how the Trump administration bullies. They do it to provoke a response that retroactively excuses their bullying. They did this on purpose. It was not a misstep by Trump. This was a misstep by Trump. ICE didn’t come to LA to stop people who are setting cars on fire, they came to rip families apart in an act of political theater, and we can’t forget that. They want escalation. They want spectacle, because their barbaric immigration raids are wildly unpopular, so, they’re resorting to authoritarian crackdowns on protests.
