Kenan Thompson | with Trump Rolls Out Red Carpet for Xi, Byron Donalds' Trump Erasure, Media Ban Overturned: A Closer Look

0:02President Trump hosted a state dinner tonight at the White House for Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the first course featured a sweet yellow squash velouté complemented by an earthy wild mushroom fricassee, crispy-spoked pancetta, and a finishing drizzle of scallion oil. And for Trump, the chef made sure to tape a Big Mac to the toilet in the men's room. Would everyone excuse me for 10 to 30 minutes?

0:35From 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, please enjoy this podcast edition of Late Night with Seth Meyers. On today's show, Seth chats with Saturday Night Live's Kenan Thompson. But first, a closer look.

0:54Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a controversial state dinner as even Republicans tried to distance themselves from Trump Meanwhile, Trump's ban on media outlets was overturned by a judge For more on this, it's time for a closer look

1:11Things are very bad for the GOP right now and Republicans have no good answers As you can tell when a news anchor tried asking the chair of the Republican National Committee a simple question, why should voters give your party another chance? Gas prices nationally, Joe,$4.47 on average. Diesel prices on average,$6.50. Mortgage rates right now are at above 7 % nationally. Inflation is at 3.4%, while average hourly earnings are lower than that at 3.1%. How are you making the case that that is the golden age? It's a great American comeback. Look at all the great things this president has done. $21 trillion.

1:53But some would say, well, come back if 18 months in, 20 months in, those are the results. Joe Biden left as an absolute disaster. This war will come and go. He'll get things back on track. We just got to give more time. We got to have Republicans in both the House and the Senate. There's going to be some folks who listen to you who just say we got to give him more time. Is that really the pitch heading into November? Give us more time? You know, I've been in TV a long time And I've been in a lot of pitch meetings And when someone says, is that really the pitch? You can close up your laptop Another way to know they're in trouble Is how they keep citing the highest levels of inflation And gas prices during Joe Biden's term As opposed to the levels they were at when Biden left office Let's listen to that part Joe Biden left as an absolute disaster Under him, he had 9.5 % inflation.

2:42Gas prices were over$5. Yeah, but that was years ago. Then they went down. That's like if a cop pulled me over for drunk driving because he just watched a video of me day drinking with Rihanna. I sobered up. It took a week, but I sobered up. Am I still drunk on the memory? Yes. Also, while Republicans keep asking for more time to bring prices down, Trump's net worth hit$7 billion in 2026, which is triple where it was in early 2024. So don't worry. He got diesel money. I got all kinds of diesel, regular diesel, super diesel, and, of course, Vin Diesel. I remember a diesel came up to me, big diesel, strong diesel, tears, pouring from his eyes down onto his very tight T-shirt, and he said to me, Mr.

3:31Trumster, it's about family. And I said, it's so true as long as it's not my family. In fact Republicans have so little to stand on They've been reduced to arguing that actually People don't mind high gas prices Gas prices are high They've been high before People deal with that They know it's going to go up and down But you know our people in Alabama know that You know they voted for President Trump They know he They gave him the opportunity to go back And They're willing to pay higher prices you think Yeah sure they are Yeah you should tell them that You should stand at a gas station next to the pump and every time someone spends$120 to fill up their truck, just say, that wasn't so bad, right?

4:13See how long it takes before someone douses you in gasoline. So Tuberville thinks Americans are fine with higher prices. Besides, they have much bigger concerns. And he laid those out in a speech to the Senate this week about artificial intelligence and the global economic system. And wait, I'm sorry, I read that wrong. in a speech about furries flying airplanes. Many airline pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers are part of the furry community. When you walk onto a commercial flight, it's possible that the pilot flying your plane could have a deranged fetish of dressing up like an animal.

4:55You can't make this up. I disagree. I think you are making it up. The f*** you talking about? Were you watching The Rescuers and you thought it was the news? The radical left is turning our pilots into mice and our airplanes into albatrosses. Now, like Tuberville, Trump also doesn't care about high prices. He cares much more about the renovations he's doing at the White House, even when he's supposed to be talking about his controversial state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. So there was a great meeting, a great greeting, and I think they appreciated tremendous people. Also, it's very nice to land on what they consider to be the most beautiful helipad ever built by far.

5:48They've been waiting for that for about 30 years. They've got it done. It's beautiful. It's nice when you get off. First of all, the pilot said it's really nice not to land in grass. Are you sure about that? Because from what I've heard about pilots, they love grass.

6:08Seriously, dude, no one cares about the f***ing helipad. And they certainly don't think it's beautiful. It's a chunk of granite, not the Sistine Chapel. Also, no one has been waiting 30 years for this in the same way no one wanted a ballroom for 150 years and no one wanted an arch since the Civil War era many years ago. Can you just build the s*** you want without also making it sound like you're the first guy smart enough to do it? Do you really think if Obama wanted a helipad, he wouldn't be able to figure it out? His motto was, yes, we can, but on helipad, he was like, no, we can't. So, uh, let me get this straight.

6:46Granite circle. Big enough to, uh, fit a helicopter. Get a... Can't be done. So clearly Trump knows a lot about the helipad What about the actual purpose of Xi's visit to the White House? The big issues, like Iran, tariffs, or AI Can you tell us anything about that? And I hope you appreciate this This is now a proper entrance for the White House It's great, including what we've done We've totally rebuilt the facade Which is largely falling off So we're very proud of it We had a very good day today We had some good meetings in terms of various things. I won't go into details. You really missed your calling as a realtor or based on your gloves as a strangler?

7:35How cold was it in D.C.? If you just want to come a little bit closer.

7:46Trump doesn't care about the issues or the details of the meetings. All he cares about is being best buds with Xi. He made it very clear that he's been looking forward to hanging out with Xi for a long time. President Xi happens to be a man with a high intelligence level. He's a brilliant man. He's a great gentleman. I find him to be an amazing, an amazing man. Even his physical features, you know, he's tall, very tall. The look of Xi, he's got a great look. You know, he's tall, he's six foot two, he's got a great stature. He's got great confidence And he's smart President Xi of China Strong, smart, tough You sound like a Long Island mom Trying to set her adult daughter up on a date I gave you a number to my cardiologist You should get coffee with him He's such a gentleman Tall Smart Strong Besides, you gotta stop dating DJs, Carla You're never gonna get out of Oyster Bay In fact, Trump was so excited for this visit, he made service members literally roll out a red carpet for Xi's arrival.

8:57He figured out carpet. We wanted one of those for, like, 30 years. So what's the trick here? Oh, you bring it rolled up. Oh, Obama! Why couldn't you figure that out, you dummy? Point is, Republicans are freaking out because of how awful Trump's poll numbers are. In fact, they're so bad, even Trump's closest allies They're scrambling to get away from him Like Congressman Byron Donalds Who's now running for governor in Florida Donalds has been such a close ally of Trump That when Trump returned to office last year Donalds said this When Americans see deportations Or repatriations happen They're going to be like, thank you When they see the border close, they're going to say This is what I voted for When they see peace starting to break out again around the world They're going to be like, this is the stability That we were asking for Daddy's back What's weirder?

9:47What's weirder, a furry dressing up Or a grown man Saying about the president, daddy's back You shouldn't even say those words About your actual daddy The only time it's appropriate to say the words Daddy's back is if you're the announcer At a male strip club Ladies It's time for our next answer You know him and you love him He's 42, his name is Kyle He took a leave of absence to try his hand As a real firefighter, but it didn't work out That's right Get your dollar bills out because daddy's back But now that Trump's approval rating Is tanking, you'll never guess what happened Donald's is less enthusiastic About his close ties to Trump Some Republican candidates are distancing Themselves now from President Trump Byron Donald's running for governor In Florida, he is one of the biggest supporters Of the president, but now Donald's Has scrubbed several references To Trump from his campaign website Byron used to have President Trump featured very prominently on his website a photo with him and the president and his wife featuring his endorsement by the president, and that was right there on the landing page.

10:54And now that has been scrubbed. Oh, no! Daddy's gone! Daddy went out for a pack of cigarettes! Mommy's got a new boyfriend named Keith. He's your daddy now. Publicas are so desperate to distance themselves from Trump, they're deleting his pictures from their websites. Like, that'll work. I'm sorry to say, you can't get away from Trump, no matter how hard you try. He's always going to make himself the center of attention. Republicans want this midterm election to be about anything but Trump, and Trump, meanwhile, is out there saying stuff like this. I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot.

11:27I'm on the ballot. I'm asking the people to get out and vote. Pretend I'm on the ballot. What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot. Oh, sure, when Trump does it, make-believe and role-play are fine. Pretend I'm on the ballot. Pretend I'm a giant woodchuck. I'll make it easy by putting on a big furry suit. Of course, Trump would like the media not to mention any of this, which is why he banned several news outlets from the White House. But the ban was short-lived because less than a week later, it's already been overturned by the courts. The federal judge just hours ago ordered the Trump administration to immediately reinstate White House access to three media outlets, including CNN.

12:08Judge Timothy Kelly found the revocation of reporters' press badges that was done without, quote, constitutionally adequate due process. Yeah, no, I mean, not only was it done without constitutionally adequate due process, Trump wouldn't even be able to say the words constitutionally adequate due process. I mean, we still don't know what the hell he was trying to say here. Saudi Arabia and Russia will be due...

12:40If someone put the words constitutionally adequate due process in his teleprompter, he might just resign. So the ban was lifted overnight, which led to some funny clips of networks trying to find out in real time whether or not their reporters could get back into the White House. Moments ago, my colleague Betsy Klein attempted to get access to the White House. There you see Betsy in the backpack with the trench coat on. We're just going to follow this because we're getting this in as we speak. She's she's she's the one she's the one to the left. She's talking to the Secret Service, trying to find out if, in fact, the White House is complying with a federal judge order.

13:23You see Betsy in the front there. She is walking towards the White House gate. and we are waiting to hear from her what happened when she actually tried to gain access. Quick question. Does Betsy know you're watching her? Betsy is the one there in the trench coat to the left and now she's making a right and going out for lunch. She seems to be headed towards Panera Bread, possibly to order a sandwich or a broccoli cheddar soup. Only time will tell. We go live now to Jake Tapper who's standing inside the kitchen at Panera. Now, Trump will pretend to be upset by this ruling But I bet he's secretly thrilled to have the cameras back Because while they were gone, right-wing TV outlets tried to pick up the slack But they were missing some crucial equipment Let's see if we can pick up some of the sound from President Trump here In the new helipad

14:27Yeah, there...

14:35Okay, so there's no microphone because... There's no microphone because the pool cameras aren't there. Daddy! Daddy, we can't hear you! Please, Daddy, tell us about the helibad. Speak louder, Daddy! All we can hear are the bees.

14:55Seriously, though, I rarely give Trump compliments on this show, but I have to say, best speech he's ever given. I mean, that's how it should sound when he does his next State of the Union address.

15:08Gas prices are soaring. Trump's three times richer. And that's pretty much the entire election in a nutshell. That's why even his closest allies are scrambling to get away from him. But don't worry, Mr. President. If Republicans abandon you, you can always find new friends. You can always become... Part of the furry community. This has been A Closer Look

15:35A cast tonight is an Emmy Award-winning comedian Longest-serving cast member in the history of SNL He begins his record-breaking 24th season When SNL returns this week with host Jalen Brunson And musical guest Cat's Eye Please welcome back one of the best Our very good friend Kenan Thompson, everybody

16:00Hello What's up What's up Good to see you I miss SNL over the summer I miss you over the summer But I also, I want to make sure you relax a little bit I took the family to Italy We went to Italia Wow That's right, it was very nice And you drove yourself around, rented a car? First time renting a car overseas It's very narrow there Yeah, Italy is very narrow Very narrow, so that rental car Went back in some scraped up fashion Now I know you've got a family With you, so maybe it's a little different But younger Kenan, he would rent Like the ballsiest car they had on the lot Yeah, I mean, you know It was a BMW Not bragging, it was the SUV version But, you know, it was really nice And fast, you know I love to drive fast Well, I remember, I think we've talked about this before But I got married on Martha's Vineyard And you rented, like, a yellow It was the only one they had It was like a Lamborghini It was a yellow convertible Camaro Yeah And it was just bright And I had, like, a bright red shirt on Yeah And I drove with the top down Because it's Martha's Vineyard And I could not have stuck out more Like everywhere When you pulled into the driveway It was the funniest thing I thought you'd brought it from off island You were like I rented it I'm like no you didn't It was the loudest car But you know what you deserve it I enjoy it Did the girls like Italy?

17:38They loved it You have to take it in doses You can waste Europe on kids You really can't But no, we had fun We went to Lake Como That's great Gelato, did the girls get gelato? They got gelato We took a little boat tour This guy showed us a house That he claimed was George Clooney's Okay I don't know if I believe it But it was super nice Yeah, that's I guess Yeah, it wouldn't be It'd be funny if he showed you A real little one And you're like I don't think that's Clooney's It wasn't like anything It was like mixed with like Seven other houses I'm not saying It was a condo. It was a lakeside condo.

18:17He's like, I don't think he lives there. Have your girls, they're the age where I think a lot of people grew up with you when you were doing Nickelodeon. Do they go back and watch the old stuff? Yeah. Or their friends will tell them about it. I like to let them, you know, discover things on their own time and stuff like that. They've been watching some As-and-I-L clips. That's good. So got to be a little careful with that. Yeah. Most of it, I would say most of your stuff's okay. Yeah. I'm family friends. I wouldn't show him scared straight yet Yeah, yeah, no, no, no I'd give a little bit more time for scared straight That's the one to slow down You, of course, have a reputation I'm one of the many writers in the history of the show Who's taken advantage of the fact that you can just cut to Keenan And he will get you a laugh Not even with a line, but just a stage direction Because if you cut to, you're a man of a These are six of your million faces Hold on Yeah Yeah.

19:13But, like, this is, for example, where you just, like, here, you find, there's your camera over there, right? I'll just give you this, like, if I was like, cut to Keenan, he doesn't like what he smells.

19:29Cut to Keenan, surprised at what he sees.

19:36Feed me. All right, cut to Keenan, he doesn't like what he smells, but then he's surprised he does like it.

19:49Nobody like him He's the best We've been lucky enough over the years Worked with some athlete hosts Jalen Brunson coming in this week Very excited Shout out How's the vibe for a world champion He's been great He's so kind He's been fun And I think we're going to have fun You know Like, he just accomplished so much, you know, like a lifetime achievement kind of thing not too long ago. My favorite thing about athletes is it doesn't matter. Nobody like, you know what I mean? I think if actors show up at SNL and it's bad, like it could like it takes years to get over where it's like it's not like the Knicks are going to be like, we can't start you.

20:29Not to say that he's going to tank it. No, no, no. But I just think their vibe is just nice to be around. Because I think that they You know, they maybe have wanted to do SNL Their whole life, but they weren't expecting to do SNL And once it's done It's done and they'll go back to being A guard for the New York Knicks The world champion And he had a He's MVP He'll be fine I got more to ask you, will you stick around? Of course

21:09Welcome back We are here with Kenan Thompson It is always such a delight to have you I'm sorry Quaid army Righteous kill Thank you buddy It's very nice You were on the Lonely Island and Seth Meyers podcast I was and it was before I had really listened to it. So then I went back and listened to it all from the beginning and I got all caught up and I couldn't wait to come here and say that to you. Well, thank you, buddy. You're most welcome. Thank you. It is fantastic. You have to come back on and talk. Yeah, yeah. Now that I'm like an actual like Quaid Army member for sure. Shout out to the Quades.

21:47We got some Quades in the house. You're a writer as well. Autobiography, a children's book, but you also write under a pen name. Yeah, it's a pseudonym A pseudonym You write a space erotica As the author Your nom de plume is Pernice LeFonc Pernice LeFonc And it's more so him than me That's interested in that That's the thing When you write as Pernice He becomes a different person Yeah, he's all about it Me, I could take it or leave it Yeah Pernice, space erotica Very excited about the three booby problem Yeah, that's the name of the message You also The Scorpion Quasar, Amazon Boobies on the Moon Legacy of Booty Quinsley's Nebula Those are all great sellers Would Pernice mind coming out and talking a little bit more You know he's usually around He loves your show Pernice Let me go

22:51Pernice Our next guest Our next guest is a gifted author And toast of the literary world Who you know from his best-selling books Quinsley's Nebula, Amazon Boobies on the Moon He's back with the highly anticipated fifth volume From his thrilling Quark series of Space Erotica Please welcome back to the show Pernice LaFonc

23:34Thank you. Oh, my God. It's such a pleasure to have you back, Bernice. Oh, Seth Lee Myers. The honor is all mine. Are you titillated by the prospect of my fifth volume? Yeah. Because I certainly am. And you know what they say. The fifth time is the charm. Oh, do they say that, Mr. LaFunk? Well, some do, Stephanie. Some do. Namely, my legal team. Oh. I am facing several copyright infringement lawsuits from the good people at Star Wars. Oh, sure. Yeah. C 'est la vie, which reminds me to recite this disclaimer. No AI was involved in the creation of this literature. Well, I mean, in that case, the floor is yours, Pernice.

24:22Thank you very much. Today's reading shall be from our latest astronomical adventure entitled The Three Booby Problems. Space erotica. No one does space erotica better. I love you, Seth. Thank you. You're just the best. Now, in this scene, I think you'll notice a real emotional arc. Shall we read? soaring through through the starry cosmos at hyperspeed Captain Valdeferens quickly flipped the engines to quarks he knew his not so trusty ship the milf linium falcon would plummet unless he could soon refuel good doink The burners were on the fritz from his latest scrape with the evil overlord, Garth Butt.

25:23B-dussy! Without warning, a concerned voice bellowed from behind. What is it, Val? Could it be? But how? How has she made it onto the ship? Des-a-b-d-d-do! The exquisite creature he'd just met 24 hours before Val wondered if it was a hallucination Cusquink Drab nabbit The boosters are hamstrung

26:00Manischewitz Val Do something I just not only is it like so exciting to hear it for the first time but you read it in a way like you're seeing it for the first time. Yes. That's what passion does. Shall we finish? Yes. How do I know that you're not another galactic gigolo blasting in and out of our lives? Biskwunk. Dadoosh. Looking for a little space nookie. But as soon as your ship recharges, you'll be gone in the morning having blasted off in more ways than one to twink to twink Keenan Thompson and Bernice LeVanc everybody

26:55Late Night with Seth Meyers airs weeknights on NBC at 1235 1135 Central original music on the Late Night Podcast is by the HE Band. Don't forget to follow the handle Late Night Seth on social media and tell your friends to subscribe to the Late Night Podcast wherever they get their podcasts.