Seth Meyers mocks Marjorie Taylor Greene over Trump’s ‘backhanded compliment’

Comedian Seth Meyers used a comment from Donald Trump on Marjorie Taylor Greene, in which he called her smart, to mock the Georgia representative, following her failed attempt to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Speaking on his NBC Late Night show, Meyers threw back to a rally speech from Mr Trump in 2021, where he called Ms Taylor Greene “so smart” and one of his “favourite people”.

“She’s an incredible woman. She’s a brilliant woman, doesn’t get credit for it,” Trump said at the time, with Meyers calling it a “backhanded compliment”.

The comedian went on to impersonate the former president, as if talking about the congresswoman.

“Marjorie Taylor Greene is so dumb, she sold her car for gas money, which is unfair because she’s a smartie-pants, I can tell you,” he said. “She’s so dumb, she went to a football game and when they said quarterback she thought she got a refund.”

The mocking came after Ms Taylor Greene made an attempt on Wednesday to get rid of House Speaker Mike Johnson, with her motion quickly dismissed by both Democrats and members of her own Republican party.

“It’s a gimmick, it’s a joke, it’s laughable,” Republican representative Max Miller of Ohio told reporters outside Congress after she filed the motion. “We have real work to do.”

Late Night showed a clip from that press conference, in which a Republican called Ms Taylor Greene “Moscow Marjorie”, said she had gone “off the deep end” and that it was probably the result of “space lasers”, referencing her previous conspiracy theory comments.

The House voted 359-43 against the Republican congresswoman’s attempt, allowing Mr Johnson to stay in his position.

“I’m proud of what I did today,” Ms Taylor Greene told reporters soon after the defeat. “And I’m thankful that all of this has been exposed for the American people.”

Despite her seemingly unwavering support for Mr Trump, he didn’t seem to be as supportive of her this week as he was during that 2021 rally.

"With a Majority of One, shortly growing to three or four, we’re not in a position of voting on a Motion to Vacate,” he posted on Truth Social. “At some point, we may very well be, but this is not the time.”

Mr Trump’s dismissal of the motion, along with the failed attempt in itself, has left Ms Greene with very little power in the House now, with Speaker Johnson seemingly safe in his position.

“I appreciate the show of confidence from my colleagues to defeat this misguided effort,” Mr Johnson said on Wednesday evening.

“In this moment, the country desperately needs a functioning Congress,” he continued. “That’s what the overwhelming majority of the members in this body demonstrated today.”