John Oliver skewers Republicans for 'bringing feelings to a fact fight' at GOP convention

John Oliver blasted those involved in the Republican National Convention on &quot;Last Week Tonight.&quot;

(Image credit: LastWeekTonight/Courtesy YouTube)

published 25 July 2016

The Republican National Convention proved to be a hilarious heyday for late night comedians, but John Oliver's Sunday evening episode of Last Week Tonight might truly be a case of saving the best for last. Oliver didn't focus on some of the convention's easier targets, such as Melania Trump plagiarizing Michelle Obama or Ted Cruz's mutiny. Rather, Oliver went right for the jugular by acutely illustrating that the Republican Party is giving more import to "feelings" than facts.

Example No. 1: Antonio Sabato, Jr., who declared with no evidence that President Obama is a Muslim — something he claims he knows to be true simply because he believes it to be true. "What is truly revealing is [Sabato's] implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true," Oliver points out. "Because if anything, that was the theme of the Republican convention this week."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.