In the latest episode of last week tonightJohn Oliver summarized the results of the presidential election, acknowledging the sadness many felt about Donald Trump’s victory.
The late-night host noted that Trump beat Kamala Harris on Election Day, saying: “That is, to put it mildly, not what I personally hoped would happen. And frankly, in Trump’s victory speech, he couldn’t believe it either.
He then played a clip from Trump’s victory speech, during which the Republican candidate said: “We overcame obstacles that no one thought possible, and it’s clear now that we’ve accomplished the most amazing political thing… Look what happened. Is this crazy?”
Oliver answered: “Yes, it’s crazy.” “It’s really crazy. It’s basically one sentence away from saying, ‘I mean, you guys saw what I did, right? It doesn’t make any sense. I know confusing verbal chaos is part of Trump’s brand, but it’s still unbelievable to see an incoming president give a victory speech with the same energy as the best man who didn’t realize he had to give a toast: “What a beautiful day. What a beautiful day. My brother and his girlfriend – my wife, sorry – today … they did the thing that you all saw. I thought my role was over with the bachelorette party, but here we are. Marriage is crazy, right? It’s crazy.”
Oliver described the mixed reactions to the election, explaining that for many it has been a “rough week.” “The smallest moments this week, where the world was going along as if nothing had happened, can suddenly be infuriating,” he added, quoting Hello Kitty’s social media word search game with the caption, “What are you looking forward to this month?”
Oliver replied: “Hello Kitty – not now.” “I’d tell you what I’m looking forward to, but I can’t seem to find ‘Turn off the lights and drink it’ [having] Some sad macaroni and cheese on your stupid puzzle. Get out of here.
He said he understands if viewers aren’t ready for it. Oliver said: “Honestly, if you’re watching this right now and thinking, ‘You know what, I’m not really ready for this either,’ I totally understand that. “It’s understandable that you don’t want to be yelled at by another guy in a death suit. So, if you’re too angry or depressed or anxious to watch the rest of this show, that’s fine. I’ve been in each of those places this week, and they were all valid reactions because we did a show like this after the election in 2016 when no one expected Trump to win. But this time, his victory seemed like a real possibility all year, with so many people rallying to stop it, but it happened anyway, which seems somehow worse.
The host talked about the sadness people are feeling, saying: “There’s no appropriate reaction at the moment.”
Oliver said: “A lot of us are grieving, and grief has stages.” “We take different amounts of time for different people. The stage I’m currently locked in is anger. I’m angry at transgender people who have been threatened. I’m disgusted by the prospect of mass deportation. I’m angry at Biden for not withdrawing earlier, and that the arrogance and inaction of two men who are older than the credit cards themselves have led us to this point. I’m angry that women have to hear “your body, my choice” from right-wing assholes. I’m angry that Elon Musk is apparently sitting in meetings with the president of Ukraine. I’m angry at the myriad of damage Trump will cause that can’t be easily undone such as hindering efforts to combat climate change and appointing more Supreme Court justices. And I’m angry at the prospect of another four years where people say: So, is your job a lot easier with Trump as president? No, it’s not! No, it isn’t! Fuck you very much!
Oliver also acknowledged everyone’s instinct to play the “blame game” after the election, but said it was “too early” to have a definitive answer. “People are pointing fingers in all directions, from Latino voters to young people to Joe Rogan,” he said. “You can basically play your own ‘Wheel of Blame’ game and generally make sure it gets to the person you’re most angry at in the first place. And to be honest, I got the appeal. It’s fun to blame people. Trump was literally elected president again on a platform of doing exactly that.
He joked about Katy Perry’s performance at the recent Harris rally: “Personally, I’d like to imagine that it’s all Katy Perry’s fault. Why are you trying to cover for Whitney Houston?
In the end, Oliver concluded that of all the stages of grief, it’s not helpful to stay in a state of despair. “Try not to completely obliterate yourself with despair,” he said as he ended the show: “Try not to completely obliterate yourself with despair.” “Despair doesn’t help anything. If anything, it makes things worse.