John Oliver skewers Donald Trump for his response to Charlottesville

Caitlin George Parker

A tragic event

On Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the host addressed Saturday’s tragic events in Charlottesville, Va., where one person was killed and 19 injured when a car plowed into counterprotesters following a rally of white nationalists. President Donald Trump was widely criticized for his response, in which he condemned bigotry “on many sides.”

The ‘many sides’ of Charlottesville

Oliver was quick to say, “‘On many sides?’ This was a white nationalist rally. You have to call that out by name. There aren’t many instances in modern American politics where you can honestly think, ‘That guy really should have mentioned the Nazis,’ but this is emphatically one of them.”

White nationalism

Although Trump may not have mentioned white nationalists in his statement, they were more than happy to applaud their chosen leader at the rally. Nazi sympathizer David Duke said, “We’re going to fulfill the promises of Donald Trump. That’s what we believed in. That’s why we voted for Donald Trump. He said he is going to take our country back, and that’s what we gotta do.” Oliver quipped, “Hey, David Duke and the Nazis really seem to like Donald Trump, which is weird because Nazis are a lot like cats: If they like you, it’s probably because you’re feeding them.”

Leadership?

Oliver went on to say there was no point waiting for leadership from President Trump because it was clearly not coming. When Trump was asked by a reporter if he wanted white nationalist support, he simply walked out of the room. His silence spoke volumes. Oliver pointed out the problem with that: “A non-answer in a moment like this is an answer. If you asked me, ‘Have you ever been aroused by the fairies in Zelda: The Ocarina of Time?, and I responded by slowly and silently walking away, you would know exactly what I was saying.”

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver airs Sundays at 11 p.m. on HBO.

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