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


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.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"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.
Oliver ended the season awkwardly video-chatting with Adam Driver and literally blowing up 2020.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Book reviews: 'America, América: A New History of the New World' and 'Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson'
Feature A historian tells a new story of the Americas and the forgotten story of a pioneering preacher
-
Another messaging app used by the White House is in hot water
The Explainer TeleMessage was seen being used by former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz
-
AI hallucinations are getting worse
In the Spotlight And no one knows why it is happening
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia