John Oliver Takes Responsibility For Donald Trump Candidacy On ‘Last Week Tonight’
UPDATED with video: John Oliver finally took responsibility for Donald Trump’s race to the White House two days before Election Day.
“It is frankly hard to believe there ever was a time when people thought a Trump candidacy would be funny, but there was such a time,” Oliver said, in his own defense. “As you may remember, three years ago I guest-hosted The Daily Show. “And, there is something you should see,” he said, cueing up his video confessional.
In The Daily Show video Oliver responds to an MSNBC report the reality TV star will consider a White House run in ’16, taunting Trump, “Do it! Do it! Look at me! Do it!” as his Comedy Central show audience erupts in gales of laughter. “I will personally write you a campaign check now, on behalf of this country, which does not want you to be president but which badly wants you to run,” Oliver added.
In response to which, Oliver’s November 2016 audience groaned – as, presumably, did viewers at home.
“I want to believe America will reject Donald Trump, that our innate sense of decency will kick in, like some sort of moral autopilot,” a chastened Oliver said in his own defense. “But I have been spectacularly wrong before,” he admits, noting that eight years ago, while still a correspondent on The Daily Show, he had informed Jon Stewart the Chicago Cubs would never ever win the World Series.
“I’m an idiot. But that clearly shows, no outcome is certain,” Oliver said, philosophically. “So if you are thinking you don’t have to show up on Tuesday because there is no way the impossible could happen, take it from somebody who has learned from painful experience: You are wrong about that.”
In Last Week Tonight‘s opening, Oliver informed viewers who get their news from him that Trump and Hillary Clinton spent most of last week furiously campaigning, during which,Trump, “the human equivalent of a clear plastic bag filled with cheeseburgers and Confederate flag belt buckles” spent the week making a visible effort to restrain himself:
“Even Trump’s inner monologue has the tone of a serial killer stalking his prey in a food court,” Oliver noted.
Just before Sunday’s show taped, there was breaking news regarding those Hillary Clinton emails found on Anthony Weiner’s computer, “The FBI has apparently finished reviewing them and has said they warrant no new action against Hillary Clinton,” the HBO show host said.
It’s unclear if this information will get to voters in time to change any minds, though, “if you’re still undecided I honestly don’t know if I can help you,” Oliver scolded.
“This election hasn’t so much appealed to our better angels as it has groped our better angels, mocked their weight and called them 6s at best. We are at a point where [Donald Trump] has a real shot at the presidency, despite having blown up a political party, undermined confidence in our electoral system, declared open season on journalists, and unleashed a river of racism and misogyny. Also, and I feel like we’ve lost sight of this: he has really stupid hair.”
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XndcZgxxXPs&w=620&h=340]
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