Final Week Tonight returned for its Season 12 premiere on HBO on Sunday night time (February 16), and host John Oliver shared his ideas on President Donald Trump‘s first month in workplace.
Oliver unpacked a number of of Trump’s orders and plans, together with scrapping variety, fairness, and inclusion initiatives, issuing a funding freeze on america Company for Worldwide Improvement, which oversees humanitarian help world wide, and upsetting commerce companions Mexico and Canada along with his tariff threats.
“That is all bonkers, terrifying, and darkly absurd,” Oliver mentioned on Sunday’s present. “The following 4 years are going to really feel extremely s***. The potential for ache is devastating, as is the sheer quantity of it that’s already been doled out.”
He continued by taking intention on the likes of Elon Musk, who’s heading up the non-official Division of Authorities Effectivity and is hellbent on slashing what he deems to be ‘wasteful’ spending.
“We see rich, highly effective males use the levers of presidency for his or her private benefit in addition to their private grievances,” Oliver acknowledged. “And we’re being ruled by individuals who suppose good public coverage consists of: ‘Reduce off funding to anybody who isn’t me,’ ‘Make it unlawful to say people who find themselves totally different from me,’ and ‘F*** it, let’s steal Canada whereas we’re at it.’”
Turning his consideration to Trump’s dismantling of USAID, which has reportedly put greater than 8,000 staff on go away and halted all abroad missions, Oliver famous how USAID helps stop illness abroad and earns goodwill in different international locations.
“However in case you listened to Trump’s press secretary, you’d suppose that every one we have been doing with USAID cash was full nonsense,” he added, exhibiting a clip of White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt on C-SPAN claiming that funding was being spent on issues equivalent to a DEI musical in Eire, a transgender opera in Colombia, and a transgender comedian guide in Peru.
“If that feels like largely bull**** and spin to you, it’s as a result of it’s,” Oliver responded. “Although I’ll say, ‘a DEI musical in Eire, a transgender opera in Colombia, and a transgender comedian guide in Peru’ all sound like her greatest guesses for what Emilia Pérez is,” he quipped, referring to the Oscar-nominated Netflix musical.
“However the factor is, not solely is she wildly mischaracterizing a few of these initiatives, the final three that she listed weren’t even funded by USAID, however by grants from the State Division,” the comic continued. “Many times, the Trump administration and Elon Musk have boosted misinformation about the place USAID cash has gone.”
Regardless of how horrible issues look, Oliver urged his viewers to proceed to combat, saying, “Now’s completely not the time to be wanting away and saying, ‘That is what you f***ers voted for’ and turning your backs, particularly when there are numerous good individuals doing vital work on the market who you may each be part of and assist.”
He acknowledged the following 4 years will likely be “exhausting,” including, “and to get by this, we’re going to must discover a steadiness between acknowledging the hell of what’s going on and discovering the enjoyment that may maintain us.”
Final Week Tonight with John Oliver, Sundays, 11/10c, HBO