Meyers, Wallace Claim Iran War Is 'A Stab In The Back' To MAGA

Alex Christy
March 11th, 2026 9:46 AM

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Neither NBC’s Seth Meyers nor MS NOW’s Nicolle Wallace is the person you would go to if you wanted to understand how conservatives, Republicans, or people who consider themselves to be part of a MAGA movement think, but the two joined forces on Monday for an interview that aired early Wednesday on Meyers’s Late Night to claim that the Iran War is a “stab in the back” to President Trump’s supporters.

Meyers didn’t begin with Iran. Instead, he focused on some of Wallace’s recent podcasting, “You recently had Robert De Niro on your podcast. And he said some unkind words about our current president.”

For context, De Niro lamented Trump is “destroying it, and who knows what his reasons are, but it’s sick, it’s fucked up” and “Now we have a would-be king who wants to take it away: King Donald the First. Fuck that. We’re rising up again, this time, nonviolently raising our voices to declare: No Kings.”

 

 

Wallace replied by wondering, “Were they unkind or just too true?” and Meyers answered, “Super accurate. Super accurate and fair.”

Following some discussion on Trump listening and responding to famous people, including himself, Meyers added, “Which is strange now because I'm willing to admit, like, he—he more famous than me. Like, I don't quite know why he can't take the win.”

After Wallace insisted that Meyers is more popular, Meyers switched topics, “Well that's—yeah. I mean, come on. Well, I mean, the only thing—to my credit, I haven't started a war in Iran.”

Meyers also claimed “Which—so, look, this is very unpopular. And you know, this is—you have called this a—you know it's basically a stab in the back. This is a betrayal to like his—you know—he ran on no new wars, and this is very much a new one.”

He further wondered, “but do you think—I mean it does seem like his coalition is holding pretty firm, right. It's not unpopular with them yet?”

Wallace then tried to play up the idea that there is a break coming between Trump and his voters, “Well, I don't know. Look, I think that there is a sense that everything was a lie. And I think you look at the Epstein files, which he was gonna release and he hasn't. You've got some very powerful podcasters saying, ‘What, do you think we're babies?’ And yes, he thought you were babies. That's why he lied to you.”

Of course, any president relies on a coalition to get elected, and while Trump’s coalition included people like those Meyers and Wallace were talking about, it also included more traditional foreign policy voices, including Iran hawks.

Earlier on Late Night, before Wallace appeared, writer and CNN personality Amber Ruffin tried to resurrect a story that the war pushed off the front page in her “Amber Says What” rant, “So then I heard the U.S. men's hockey team won a gold medal, and I was like, ‘What, what?’ Then this weird little nerd busted into their locker room, and I was like,'What? Why didn't the FBI keep him out?' Then I found out that nerd was the FBI.”

 

 

She then spread the false idea that the men’s team denigrated the women’s team, “Then Trump called to congratulate them, and they laughed about the women's hockey team, and I was like, ‘What are y'all laughing about? They have more gold medals than you. They have more gold than Trump's bathroom.’"

Ruffin then used that to hype the women’s team not going to the White House, “Then Trump invited the men's team to the White House, and they were like, ‘Yeah.’ And then he invited the women's team, and they were like, ‘Um, we are busy that night.’ Then Flava Flav was like, ‘Do you want to celebrate with me instead?’ The women's team is like, ‘Our calendar is suddenly wide open.’"

She concluded her hockey hot takes by adding, “So, he is throwing them a party, but five men's hockey players didn't go to the White House. I found that out and was like, ‘What?’ So I'd like to make an announcement. I might not be Flava Flav rich, but if you're one of these sweet little hockey babies who didn't go to the White House, I would like to take you to The Cheesecake Factory.”

This is the woman who the White House Correspondents Association originally wanted to host last year’s dinner.

Here is a transcript for the March 9-taped show:

NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers

3/11/2026

12:42 AM ET

AMBER RUFFIN: So then I heard the U.S. men's hockey team won a gold medal, and I was like, "What, what?" Then this weird little nerd busted into their locker room, and I was like, "What? Why didn't the FBI keep him out?" Then I found out that nerd was the FBI. I was like, "What? Next you're going to tell me a nerd runs this show." Oh! They're everywhere.

Then Trump called to congratulate them, and they laughed about the women's hockey team, and I was like, "What are y'all laughing about? They have more gold medals than you. They have more gold than Trump's bathroom."

Then Trump invited the men's team to the White House, and they were like, "Yeah." And then he invited the women's team, and they were like, "Um, we are busy that night." Then Flava Flav was like, "Do you want to celebrate with me instead?" The women's team is like, "Our calendar is suddenly wide open."

So, he is throwing them a party, but five men's hockey players didn't go to the White House. I found that out and was like, "What?" So I'd like to make an announcement. I might not be Flava Flav rich, but if you're one of these sweet little hockey babies who didn't go to the White House, I would like to take you to The Cheesecake Factory.

…

12:53 AM ET

SETH MEYERS: You have a podcast. And you recently had Robert De Niro on your podcast.

NICOLLE WALLACE: Yeah.

MEYERS: And he said some unkind words about our current president.

WALLACE: Were they unkind or just too true?

MEYERS: Super accurate. Super accurate and fair.

WALLACE: Yeah.

MEYERS: The president, though, then basically he referenced the comments, and said, you know, these were criminal acts by one of our greatest living actors. But my takeaway is that, like, Donald Trump listens to your podcast. Is that your takeaway as well?

WALLACE: Oh, my god, I didn't think of it like that. I mean, I think Donald Trump listens to Robert De Niro.

MEYERS: Yeah.

WALLACE: I think he listens to you. I think he's still very, very sensitive about what men who are—and women more famous than him say.

MEYERS: Yeah. Which is strange now because I'm willing to admit, like, he—he more famous than me. Like, I don't quite know why he can't take the win. 

WALLACE: Well, but not more popular.

MEYERS: Well that's—yeah. I mean, come on. Well, I mean, the only thing—to my credit, I haven't started a war in Iran.

WALLACE: Right. Right.

MEYERS: Which—so, look, this is very unpopular. And you know, this is—you have called this a—you know it's basically a stab in the back. This is a betrayal to like his—you know—

WALLACE: Yeah.

MEYERS: He ran on no new wars—

WALLACE: Right.

MEYERS: — and this is very much a new one.

WALLACE: It's new, yeah.

MEYERS: And even though, you know, they go back and forth and some people in his administration call it a war and some don't. But this is a war.

WALLACE: Yeah.

MEYERS: And but do you think—I mean it does seem like his coalition is holding pretty firm, right. It's not unpopular with them yet?

WALLACE: Well, I don't know. Look, I think that there is a sense that everything was a lie. And I think you look at the Epstein files, which he was gonna release and he hasn't. You've got some very powerful podcasters saying, "What, do you think we're babies?" And yes, he thought you were babies.

MEYERS: Right.

WALLACE: That's why he lied to you.

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