What's More Dangerous Than President Trump? John Oliver Has the Answer We All Need to Hear
For those keeping up with John Oliver's election coverage on Last Week Tonight, his reaction to the final outcome of the presidential race went pretty much as expected. He was stunned.
In his first taping since Nov. 8, Oliver detailed the many stages of coming to terms with Donald Trump's election. "One minute you're numb and the next minute you realize that Donald Trump will soon have access to the nuclear codes. Then, maybe you get distracted by daily life until it hits you again."
"Keep reminding yourself: this is not normal."
After some pretty hilarious detours — like the use of Curb Your Enthusiasm's theme song to score President Obama's meeting with Trump — Oliver got serious about the media and the false articles that allowed for people to really believe that Pope Francis endorsed Trump or that Trump once called Republicans the "dumbest group of voters." Both stories have since been disproved, but they show how certain rumors can be taken as fact once shared by millions of Facebook users.
Ultimately, Oliver focused on the future of the nation and how people can have an influence on it. For those who oppose Trump, Oliver says they mustn't just accept his presidency and thereby normalize it. Read his argument below and catch it at 22:05 in the video above.
"If we don't get actively involved to at least mitigate Trump's damage, things will not be OK. Yes, the sun will rise each day, but the continuing rotation of the Earth should not be your baseline expectation of American society. I just need to ask you one more thing. It is going to be too easy for things to start feeling normal, especially if you are someone who is not directly impacted by his actions. So keep reminding yourself: this is not normal. Write it on a Post-It note and stick it on your refrigerator, hire a skywriter once a month, tattoo it on your ass, because a Klan-backed misogynist internet troll is going to be delivering the next State of the Union address — and that is not normal; it is f*cked up."