Seth Meyers Twitter Joke Lands Flat, Gets Laid Into by Donald Trump Jr., Megyn Kelly and Conservative Twittersphere

Megyn Kelly, Donald Trump Jr. and a host of other conservative commentators laid into Seth Meyers after the official account of his late-night show joked about President Donald Trump's televised address.

In a nine-minute prime-time address Tuesday night, Trump attempted to convince the American public to pressure Congress to approve funding for a wall on the southern border with Mexico. The president called the situation a "humanitarian and security crisis" for Americans and immigrants alike.

Trump pointed out that a large number of migrant children are being victimized by "ruthless gangs," while a large number of migrant women are being sexually assaulted.

Read more: GOP senator calls for Congress to end shutdown without deal for Trump's wall

"One in three women are sexually assaulted on the dangerous trek up through Mexico," Trump said. Doctors Without Borders has published a study supporting this claim.

In response to Trump's words, the official account of the Late Night With Seth Meyers show tweeted: "Is this Oval Office: SVU?"

Is this Oval Office: SVU?

— Late Night with Seth Meyers (@LateNightSeth) January 9, 2019

Although the president's address has been heavily criticized for being riddled with inaccuracies, the joke regarding the well-documented plight of migrant women and children quickly drew backlash. It referred to special victims units, specialized divisions within some police departments that typically investigate crimes involving sexual assault or particularly delicate nonsexual crimes.

One such unit was at the center of the TV series Law & Order: SVU, a spinoff of the original Law & Order series.

At the time of writing, the post had received almost 5,000 replies, most of which criticized it for being crass and disrespectful toward the families of victims.

I’m sure that’s hysterical to the families of the murder victims the president just discussed. https://t.co/XOOWeWZMSp

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) January 9, 2019

"I'm sure that's hysterical to the families of the murder victims the president just discussed," wrote Kelly, a former NBC and Fox News host who moderated the first GOP debate in August 2015.

As usual they know no bounds... Those murdered by illegals who have multiple felonies and deportations are just a punch line to these lib clowns. Such a disgrace. https://t.co/Kb7ICr9tJL

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 9, 2019

Trump Jr. also took aim at the tweet, describing the comments as a "disgrace" and suggesting the post underlined liberals did not take the issue of illegal migrants seriously.

"As usual they know no bounds," Trump Jr. tweeted. "Those murdered by illegals who have multiple felonies and deportations are just a punch line to these lib clowns. Such a disgrace."

Meanwhile, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld directly criticized Meyer.

"Just wondering if there was anything less funny than Seth Meyers—turns out, it's his twitter feed," he wrote.

just wondering if there was anything less funny than seth meyers - turns out, it's his twitter feed. https://t.co/rwISQW10oh

— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) January 9, 2019

Trump's address came as the partial government shutdown threatens to extend into a fourth week. It began on December 21, after the House and the Senate did not reach an agreement over the funding of the proposed wall.

In his speech on Tuesday, Trump reiterated its demand for $5.7 billion in funding. Despite weeks of negotiations, Democrats have not budged from an offer of $1.3 billion.

Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers speaks on stage during the NYU Langone Health's 2018 FACES Gala at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on March 5 in New York City. Monica Schipper/Getty Images for NYU Langone Health

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Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more

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