John Oliver torches GOP governors who resisted stay-at-home orders
On Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Sunday, Oliver ripped Republican governors who have been slow to respond to the growing coronavirus crisis in the United States, particularly those who have resisted issuing stay-at-home orders. As of Sunday, nine states had yet to issue such orders.
Video Transcript
JOHN OLIVER: There are clearly lots of interesting facts about Alabama. One is that it actually has a higher growth rate in coronavirus cases than California. Hey, governor, maybe that graph should be on your flag. Isn't learning fun?
- On "Last Week Tonight" Sunday, John Oliver ripped Republican governors who have resisted issuing state-wide stay-at-home orders, despite the growing coronavirus crisis. Alabama governor, Kay Ivey, finally issued such an order last Friday. Georgia governor, Brian Kemp, was also late to issue a stay-at-home order because he claimed to have just found out that the virus can be spread by those not showing symptoms.
BRIAN KEMP: We didn't know that until the last 24 hours.
JOHN OLIVER: No, you didn't know that until the last 24 hours. Most of the rest of us have known that since February. And that information, much like COVID-19, has spread around a bit since then.
- Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, resisted issuing a statewide stay-at-home order because he was waiting for direction from the White House, even as COVID-19 cases rose rapidly last month. And even while doing so, DeSantis exempted religious services from the order.
JOHN OLIVER: That's actually even stupider than it sounds. Because DeSantis not only exempted churches from bans on large gatherings, he also exempted them from social distancing requirements and made it impossible for localities, even in hot-spots, to override him, which is clearly dangerous.
- It's because of governors in states like these and others that some are calling for nationwide stay-at-home orders.
JOHN OLIVER: The problem is, as a nation, our success at containing COVID-19 is only going to be as good as our worst governor. Especially with the federal government abdicating so much responsibility. That is what is so infuriating here.
- Oliver then took aim at presidential advisor, Jared Kushner, who recently said the Strategic National Stockpile of medical supplies weren't for the states to use.
JOHN OLIVER: It's not your stockpile, it's a national stockpile, for use by the United States, you [BLEEP] moron. And here's the interesting thing about the United States, it's almost entirely made of states. There's states everywhere! I'd say more than 40 of them, Jared.
