Seth Meyers Savages Donald Trump’s Civil War Ignorance: Clearly ‘In Over His Head’

“People don't ask that question, but why was there the Civil War?” President Donald Trump asked, seemingly unsure of the answer, during an interview on Monday. Seth Meyers has some ideas.

Trump may have thought that being president was going to be “easier” than his previous job, but as the Late Night host pointed out on Monday, his first 100 days in office have been dominated by his “childlike naivete colliding with reality,” a phenomenon that came to a head when the subject of one of his favorite predecessors, Andrew Jackson, came up in his conversation with SiriusXM host Salena Zito this week.

“Had Andrew Jackson been a little later you wouldn’t have had the Civil War,” Trump said in the interview. “He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart. And he was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War, [and] he said, ‘There’s no reason for this.’ People don’t realize, you know, the Civil War, if you think about it—why? People don't ask that question, but why was there the Civil War? Why could that one not have been worked out?"

“No one ever asked, ‘why was there the Civil War?!’” Meyers replied, incredulously. “Trump clearly does not have a firm grasp on the basic facts of being president, let alone the basic facts of American history and now he’s essentially admitting that he’s in over his head.”

“You thought the presidency would be easier than being game show host?” he asked. “There’s a reason Abraham Lincoln is on the $5 instead of Alex Trebek.”

As for Trump’s assertion that he is a “details oriented person,” Meyers said, “No, I would not say that. No one thinks details are your strong suit. And I’m not even talking about the little details, I’m talking about things like, ‘Why did the Civil War happen?’ Or, you know, ‘Which country did I just bomb?’”

“Now, you might think a president as unqualified as Donald Trump would show some humility,” Meyers said. Of course, he taped his “closer look” before Trump doubled down on the Civil War comments, continuing to claim that unrepentant slave owner Andrew Jackson “would never have let” it happen.