John Oliver lays out 'the downside of humoring' Trump's 'pathetic, dangerous' refusal to concede

John Oliver wraps up 2020 — (Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Last Week Tonight)

The main story on Sunday's season finale of Last Week Tonight "unfortunately, for the second week in a row, concerns the election we just had," John Oliver sighed, and "believe me, I'm just as disappointed as you about that." Normally, "the loser of a presidential election would simply acknowledge that they lost, and the country would get to move on," he said. And while President Trump's refusal to concede isn't that surprising, the public backing of "Trump's indefensible behavior" by top administration officials and Republicans is "disappointing."

"Tonight let's look at just how weak Trump's case for overturning this election is and what real harm 'humoring' him will do," Oliver said. "And let's start with the case itself. Because there are lots of accusations and lawsuits flying around right now. And If you're a casual viewer of right-wing media, you might think, 'Well, there must be something here, they wouldn't be going to all this trouble over nothing.' But the thing is, they are. This really is nothing." He shot down some of the allegations — dead voters, flipped votes — then said he "could spend the rest of this show debunking stories, the problem is, it's endless."

"So the allegations here are complete nonsense, and who knows why Republicans are entertaining this," Oliver said. "What I do know is that the answer to the question, 'What's the downside of humoring him?' is: a lot." Aside from depriving President-elect Joe Biden of a smooth transition, Trump's delusion "also plays into grim fantasies of embattled Trump supporters, something expressed perhaps most dramatically and stupidly by the actor Jon Voight," he said. "Trump is playing a dangerous game here. Because there is a huge difference between 'not my president' and 'not the president.' And to be clear, people who are that angry are not riling themselves up in a vacuum. They've been fed a steady diet of misinformation, bulls--t fraud claims, and a victim narrative" from right-wing media and Trump himself.

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"And infuriatingly, Trump has chosen to sow all this chaos around the election despite the fact that deep down, he knows it's over," Oliver said, a situation that "is pathetic, dangerous, and in many ways an appropriate coda to a presidency that has destroyed so many lives" and relationships.

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Oliver ended the season awkwardly video-chatting with Adam Driver and literally blowing up 2020.

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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.