Late-Night Hosts Mock Trump’s Warning to Iran’s President

After President Donald Trump made a bold threat to Iran on Twitter, NBC’s Late Night host Seth Meyers was ready to address his “unhinged comments” during his Monday night show. 

Taking a “Closer Look” at the recent controversies the president is facing, Meyers found Trump’s threat to Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani comical, implying that it was merely an attempt to direct the conversation elsewhere from his current backlash. 

“Naturally Trump has decided the appropriate response is to threaten a war with Iran,” quipped Meyers, before reading the president’s lengthy warning directed at Rouhani. 

In a tweet posted late Sunday night, Trump wrote: “To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!”

“Wow. you can take the crazy old man out of Queens, but you can’t make him stop yelling at foreigners,” said Meyers, mocking Trump’s spontaneous warning against the country. 

The late-night host also questioned the president’s usage of capitalized font, suggesting that it defeats his purpose of being a menacing figure. 

“Also, you don’t get to say be cautious when you’re tweeting in all caps. That’s like a British person screaming at the top of their lungs, ‘Keep calm and carry on! We’re all going to die!” joked Meyers.

In response to Trump’s threat, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that he was “unimpressed” with the president’s words. 

“COLOR US UNIMPRESSED: The world heard even harsher bluster a few months ago. And Iranians have heard them – albeit more civilized ones – for 40 yrs,” Zarif wrote. “We’ve been around for millennia & seen fall of empires, including our own, which lasted more than the life of some countries.” 

To further take a jab at Trump, Zarif then echoed the president’s concluding omen, writing, “BE CAUTIOUS!”

Trump’s threat to Iran arrives amid the president’s recent controversies, including backlash from his press conference with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, his immigration policy and his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen revealing he taped their private phone conversations, which Trump has asserted is “perhaps illegal.” 

Over on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, host Trevor Noah also referenced Trump’s Iran tweets. “Remember, this is the same way he tweeted ‘fire and fury’ on North Korea and six months later totally caved to Kim Jong-un,” he quipped. “It’s either that or America is headed for a war, but the good news is you stopped thinking about Michael Cohen, so mission accomplished.”

Stephen Colbert also shared his take on the tweets on The Late Show.

The host read Rouhani’s original statement to Trump that said, “America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars.” Colbert responded, “Wow, Mother’s Day in Iran sounds intense. Do not forget to get her a card.”

He also shared that Rouhani warned Trump “not to play with the lion’s tail, because you will regret it eternally.” Colbert said, “That’s just good advice, okay. Also do not play with the lion’s mouth. You will regret it immediately.”

After reading off Trump’s tweet in response to Rouhani, Colbert said, ‘Yes, yes, yes. Be cautious. You cross Donald Trump, you’re gonna get what the other dictators got. A friendly summit, a handshake, and if you’re not careful, an invitation to the White House.”

The host took issues with Trump’s use of Twitter to communicate with Rouhani. “It seems like an all caps note is not necessarily the way to deal with a hostile foreign leader,” he said. “It’s barely the way to deal with the co-worker who keeps stealing your yogurt from the fridge.” Colbert then shared a handwritten note threatening the theoretical co-worker in hopes that he will no longer steal his yogurt.

James Corden said that Trump “downed three Red Bulls” before writing the tweet. “It seems that the only thing still working in the Trump administration is the caps lock key,” he said.

“This is a scary tweet,” he said. “By the way, how’s the First Lady’s online bullying campaign going?”

“I love how Trump tells him to be cautious at the end because if anyone knows about being cautious, it’s the 72-year-old guy who eats two quarter pounders every night,” said Corden.

The host later shared that the city of San Francisco has banned tour buses from stopping in front of the house used as the exterior of the Tanners’ home on Full House. “This is bad news for tourists, it is. Now you’ll have to find something more riveting to do on vacation than sitting in a van very slowly passing by a house,” he said.

Corden then brought Trump back into the conversation by joking that the city shared a tweet similar to the presidents. “I will say that city’s being very strict about this. They are. San Francisco’s Twitter said, DO NOT GO NEAR THE ‘FULL HOUSE’ RESIDENCE AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE,'” he said.