{"id":47474,"date":"2025-11-04T10:48:27","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=47474"},"modified":"2025-11-04T10:48:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T15:48:27","slug":"trump-vs-meyers-catapults-comedy-and-the-crisis-in-our-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2025\/11\/trump-vs-meyers-catapults-comedy-and-the-crisis-in-our-speech.html","title":{"rendered":"Trump vs. Meyers: Catapults, Comedy, and the Crisis in Our Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left : The White House | Right: Late Night with Seth Meyers \/ YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When President Trump rails against electric catapults and Seth Meyers fires back with biting satire, it’s more than a clash of personalities\u2014it’s a snapshot of America’s fractured dialogue. What does this cultural tug-of-war reveal about free speech, ridicule, and how Christians should respond?<\/p>\n

During his recent trip to Asia, President Trump addressed military personnel on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. Part of his remarks dealt with the difference between steam-driven catapults and electric ones on carriers. The president asked the service members which ones were better; they responded that the steam ones were better. President Trump agreed and proceeded to rail against electric catapults.<\/p>\n

This exchange prompted a response from NBC’s Seth Meyers. He first joked that Trump “spends more time thinking about catapults than Wile E. Coyote.” He continued: “Next, they start complaining how our troops don’t tie themselves to rockets anymore.”<\/p>\n

Then, imitating Trump, Meyers said: “We used to strap our soldiers to the rockets and they loved it, but then everything got woke and they said, ‘You can’t tie a person to a rocket.’ But we miss those days, and we’re bringing them back.”<\/p>\n

Most people would recognize Meyers’ comments as satire. Whether someone finds the remarks funny is secondary; they were intended to be comedy. Satire, however, is comedy “with a bite.” Dictionary.com defines satire<\/a> as “the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, to expose, denounce, or deride the folly or corruption of institutions, people, or social structures.”<\/p>\n

President Trump clearly understands this; he does not take kindly to being ridiculed. In a post on Truth Social, he called Meyers “a deranged lunatic,” and continued: “Why does NBC waste its time and money on a guy like this?” He claimed that Meyers has “NO TALENT, NO RATINGS,” and is “100 [percent] ANTI-TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL.”<\/p>\n

The point, however, is not about who is “right.” There are certainly pros and cons to both steam-powered and electric-powered catapults on aircraft carriers. It is just as certain that some of the administration’s policies are good, and some are not. The broader issue is the state of public discourse in American culture, and the appropriate\u2014and inappropriate\u2014ways for Christians to participate.<\/p>\n

The First Amendment to the Constitution states in part that Congress “shall make no law\u2026abridging the freedom of speech.”<\/p>\n

Accordingly, it is hard to see how it could be illegal to disagree with the president, even 100 percent of the time. The broader question, however, pertains to the tone of “discussion” in contemporary American culture. To what extent should Christians participate in conduct and speech that ridicules others?<\/p>\n