John Oliver takes on Stephen Miller with Minions, The Rock, and video of Miller politicking in high school
John Oliver gave a brief kiss-off to Anthony Scaramucci on Sunday's Last Week Tonight, then spent a little time picking at the guy who might replace the Mooch as White House communications director: "Stephen Miller: policy adviser and vitamin D-deficient Minion." Oliver knows what you're thinking (maybe): "Yes, you might well think, 'That's unfair — anyone can find a photo of someone looking a bit like a Minion.' But with Miller, it is genuinely hard to find a photo of him not looking like a Minion." He tried to prove his case with photographic evidence.
Oliver played the "incredible exchange" between Miller and CNN's Jim Acosta (the one where Miller disavows the Emma Lazarus poem on the Statue of Liberty, not the one where he dismissively calls Acosta "cosmopolitan"). Oliver disagreed with Miller's assessment of the poem's significance, using The Rock as supporting evidence, then gawked at Miller's age, 31, making him young enough that there's YouTube video of his run for student government at his fancy Santa Monica high school. In the speech, young Miller said he is "sick and tired of being told to pick up my trash when we have plenty of janitors who are paid to do it for us."
"Wow, he is truly one of the most revolting humans (Minions) I have ever seen," Oliver said. "You know, in a way, there is no more fitting spokesman for the Trump administration than an entitled, elitist a--hole who refuses to take responsibility for the messes he makes, and who can somehow manage to pick a fight with a f---ing statue." There is NSFW language, but the clip ends on a happier note. Watch below. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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