Seth Meyers Gives Obama a Harsh Reality Check After Trump's Victory: "There Are Lessons..."

Late Night host Seth Meyers offered some unexpected criticism of former President Barack Obama's campaign rhetoric in the aftermath of Donald Trump's 2024 presidential victory. Many Democrats were eager to blame others after the defeat, but Meyers chose a different path. He said that rather than pointing fingers at one another, they should examine how Trump inspires interest in his ideas and, perhaps, take a lesson or two from his strategy.

The first instance Meyers cited was how, at an October rally, Obama called out Trump for putting his name on pandemic stimulus checks. "Joe Biden sent you a check during the pandemic just like I gave people relief during the Great Recession," Obama told the crowd last month. "The thing is, we didn't put our name on it because it wasn't about feeding our egos, it wasn't about advancing our politics, it was about helping people. That's the difference."

Meyers, however, saw this as a missed opportunity. "OK, but you should have," he told Obama bluntly on his show. "Like, next time, put your name on it. Seriously, Joe Biden should have sent everyone $1,000 in the mail and called it Biden Bucks," as per the Daily Beast. The Late Night host went on to explain that the issue wasn't about political ideology but rather about effective communication with voters. "You just have to make people's lives better in a way that's direct and easy to understand, and then aggressively take credit for it," he emphasized, pointing to healthcare legislation as a prime example, as per Huff Post.

Meyers discussed the Affordable Care Act and how many people appreciate it, but he also noted that there is still a significant problem with the way it is being communicated to the public. "It's great. In the polls, people say they love it, they want to keep it, but polls also show they're sometimes confused by it or don't even know they have it," he explained. As such, Meyers' solution was characteristically straightforward: "So next time, make it easy. Just pass a universal health care plan and send everyone a little ID card in the mail that says 'Obamacare,' or 'A Democrat gave this to you. Please remember that, OK?'"

Meyers maintained an optimistic outlook despite the criticism of Democratic messaging. "There are lessons Democrats can take away from this election, and if they implement those lessons quickly, a lot can change," he said, reminding viewers of recent Democratic victories. "Remember after Trump's first win in 2016, Democrats won big in 2018, 2020, and 2022."

The comedian also discussed the notion that Kamala Harris' campaigning was unsuccessful due to her far-left stance. He simply dismissed those accusations, claiming that it had nothing to do with her being extremely left-wing. "You think Kamala Harris was too far left? She campaigned with Liz Cheney," Meyers pointed out incredulously, adding, "I mean, she praised Dick Cheney for crying out loud."