Seth Meyers: The Republicans' defenses of Trumpcare are 'embarrassing'

Seth Meyers dedicated Monday's edition of his "A Closer Look" segment to the tactics employed by President Donald Trump and other Republicans in defense of his embattled healthcare plan.

"One thing that has become clear over the past week is that lying is such a central feature of the Trump administration that many in DC just take it for granted," the host said on Monday's episode of NBC's "Late Night," "but there's one issue where Trump's lies could have very real consequences for millions of people and that's health care."

Since being introduced earlier this month,

'"And yet despite that, GOP leaders are rushing the bill through the House as quickly as possible," Meyers said. "They held two marathon overnight committee hearings with no public input. One lasted 27 hours and another lasted 18 hours and ended at 4:30 in the morning."

In an example of the defenses employed by the Republicans, Meyers played video from one of the sessions in which Missouri Congressman Jason Smith mocked Obamacare's taxes on tanning beds by asking why the government doesn't just tax the sun.

"Why don't we tax the sun?" Meyers joked as a photo of Trump appeared. "Is it because we already know an orange ball of gas will never pay its taxes? Even more embarrassing, Republicans and Democrats preceded to actually spend time debating whether it's possible to tax the sun."

Meyers then cited the White House's request that Trump's name not be used in relation to the healthcare plan.

"Even Donald Trump won't put his name on this thing," the host said. "One reason for that might be that he's worried that people won't like it as much as Obamacare. In fact, Trump blamed the media for Obamacare's rise in popularity in the polls."

The late-night host then mocked Trump's confusion over why former President Barack Obama is suddenly so popular.

"It's you, dude. It's you," he said. "Trump's like the guy who cleared out the subway car because he s--- his pants and then says, 'Oh, I guess that was everyone's stop.'"