John Oliver took aim at President Donald Trump’s plans for a “mega” ballroom — something he’s done before that, too — and his contradictory claims about upgrades to the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool on Sunday. Last week tonight.
Oliver began by referencing Trump’s social media post during his trip to China where he noted, “China has a ballroom, and so does the USA! It’s under construction ahead of schedule and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the USA.”
“Because incredibly,” Oliver said, “despite everything going on in the world right now, Trump remains relentlessly focused on the so-called ‘comprehensive renovation’ of the White House and Washington, D.C. Last year, he installed two massive flagpoles, set up the Presidential Walk of Fame outside the White House, paved the Rose Garden and redecorated the Oval Office, as if to answer the question: ‘What if an ancient Egyptian pharaoh owned an Airbnb?’”
Oliver then showed a video of Trump last week arguing that all of these upgrades are necessary.
“This place has not been taken care of properly,” Trump said. “My wife said to me, ‘You have to act presidential, so don’t use bad language.’ I won’t. So, normally I would have said it was a shithouse, but I don’t want to say that.
“Well, to be clear, Trump’s foul language is not what keeps him from being president,” Oliver said. “Simply not cursing will not make Trump a suitable president in the same way that a white coat does not.” [Philadelphia Flyers mascot] Brave is a practicing oncologist.
Oliver then returned again to the topic of the ballroom that Trump had ordered built, which… Last week tonight The host described Trump’s project as “the most ambitious project” while noting that it was “out of control.” When the project was first announced, the White House said it would cost about $200 million and would be paid for by Trump and donors.
“Since then, the projected cost rose to $300 million, then $400 million,” Oliver said. “Last week, he said the only reason the cost had changed was because after “in-depth studies,” the hall was almost “twice as big.” When a reporter dared to ask him about that on Tuesday, he kind of lost track of it.
Oliver showed a clip of Trump speaking to reporters, claiming the project was under budget. “We doubled it because obviously we needed to, and now we’re on budget, under budget, and ahead of schedule,” he said. When a journalist asked him about doubling the budget, Trump replied: “You doubled it, you idiot. You are not a smart person.”
“Okay, okay, I know it’s not unusual for him to disparage a female journalist, but even by his standards, it was bad,” Oliver said. “The only time it’s okay to scream ‘you stupid person’ at someone is, as I think we all know, if you’re watching.” riskAnd you know the answer, but the contestants don’t know: Who is Emily Dickinson, you damned idiot?! A largely unpublished 19th century Massachusetts poet – Who is Emily Dickinson? You are not a smart person.”
Oliver then went on to talk about the reflecting pool upgrades, which have gone from about $2 million in estimated repairs to $13 million, and the fact that Trump said he would “call three guys I know who work on my pools, which — come on — is not the way to fix a national monument, it sounds more like the start of an amazing post-divorce girls’ weekend for Deborah,” Oliver joked.
the Last week tonight The host also pointed out inconsistencies in Trump’s statement that he would reach out to some contractors he knows only to later claim that he did not know the contractor who won the contract after it turned out to be a no-bid contract.
“Look, is this the most important thing this president can do right now? Of course it’s not,” Oliver said. “It will be a connection between knowing where Iran is on the map and finally hearing the three ghosts that have awakened him every Christmas Eve for the past 70 years. Needless to say, if you are a president who would rather focus on building ballrooms and maintaining swimming pools than on the crucial work of actually running the country, then I think it’s fair to say, to borrow a phrase I heard recently, that you are not a smart person.”
