John Oliver tears apart Trump's 'weird' relationship with Putin

John Oliver lambasts Trump's relationship with Putin
(Image credit: YouTube/LastWeekTonight)

On Sunday's Last Week Tonight, John Oliver took aim at President Donald Trump's cozy relationship with Russia. "He does have a weird, noticeably soft spot for both the country and its leader," Oliver said, hammering the point home with a compilation video of the numerous times Trump has complimented, praised, or otherwise flattered Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"It's a bit weird," Oliver says. "You've been objectively nicer to Vladimir Putin than you have to Meryl Streep."

But the real meat of the segment is in analyzing what we actually know about Putin ("He annexed Crimea, imposed severe fines and long prison terms on protesters, propped up the brutal Assad regime, and signed a harsh anti-gay propaganda law."), why he remains so popular, and what Trump's wish that America could just "get along" with Russia would actually mean for democratic values.

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"Trump is basically the propagandist of Putin's dreams," Oliver says. Take a look below, although be warned: There is lots of NSFW language. Jessica Hullinger

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Jessica Hullinger

Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.