Name: John Oliver Implores Viewers to Vote Trump Out in Final Show Before Election
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John Oliver Implores Viewers to Vote Trump Out in Final Show Before Election

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In December of 2019, John Oliver became an American citizen. “Everyone in that room is making a commitment that long outlasts the current president,” he in an interview earlier this year, before the coronavirus pandemic upended life around the world. “You’re vehemently endorsing the idea of America, because the idea is still perfect. That’s what was so moving about the ceremony.”Oliver’s duty to America came full circle this weekend, when he voted for the first time.“Look, I don’t need to tell you just how important Tuesday is. If you haven’t voted already, please do so. I did. I voted in my first presidential election just this morning,” he said at the close of Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight. “For what it’s worth, it was inspiring, unexpectedly moving, and I did get this free sticker, so that’s just not nothing. Thank you so much for watching this show, and we will see you next week, at which point I truly hope that we’ll all be feeling at least slightly better.”Before Oliver’s earnest plea and cautious optimism, he presented an expanded episode that painstakingly made the case against President Donald Trump, specifically for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.“Believe me, I would love nothing more than to not talk about COVID and return to subjects we normally cover on this show, like scented candle fraud or alpaca veterinarian malpractice. But unfortunately, I can’t do that when so many Americans are still dying of COVID every day,” Oliver said.Trump’s failure to handle the health crisis has been , including by in . On Sunday, the host once again cataloged many of the president’s errors, including how he has the threat of the disease and the use of masks.But it is Trump’s continued lack of empathy that had Oliver most enraged. “He has been borderline sociopathic,” Oliver said of the president, before noting how hospitals in New York had to use refrigerated trucks as makeshift morgues to account for the patients who died from coronavirus.“It was utterly brutal here,” Oliver said, before playing a clip from an Oval Office meeting Trump had with health care workers and first responders in May. During that event, which was held to celebrate National Nurses Day, Ernest J. Grant, the president of the American Nurses Association, told the president his “big concern” was the potential for “post-traumatic trauma that a lot of the nurses and doctors and other members of the health care team will be facing in the future.”“They’re seeing death probably three to four times the average than what they normally would,” he said.“A lot of deaths,” Trump said in response. “There’s no question about it. And, by the way, while we’re at it, can you pass these pens around? Okay? Pass them around, there you go.”The clip left Oliver stunned. “I know: after four years, it is hard for anything Trump does to shock you anymore. But it is worth making sure that that still does,” he said. “Because that man was in the middle of talking about his peers’ PTSD, and the president cut him off so he could offer everyone pens. Pens! He wasn’t even listening, he was just sitting there, waiting for his turn to speak, so he could do his pen thing.”“Is there anything more grim than that?” he added. “I mean, I guess he could have not offered them pens, but would that have been worse? Better? It’s honestly difficult to say. It’s even more difficult to write a joke off of. ‘Oh, Trump must be great for you comedians, right?’ Not really! This has been a fucking nightmare.”In the days leading up to Tuesday’s election, Trump has publicly disinterest in talking about the coronavirus pandemic, despite a record number of cases in the United States and more than 230,000 deaths so far. The president has also nothing more could have been done to mitigate the current crisis.“That’s just not true,” Oliver said. “Other countries have done more and suffered less. We have four times more people than Germany, but 17 times the COVID cases; we have three and a half times more people than Vietnam, but 7,500 times the COVID cases. This wasn’t inevitable. Look, I shouldn’t have to take 20 minutes to tell you that Trump mismanaged the pandemic. In a lot of ways, the answer to the question, ‘Has Trump done a good job handling this pandemic?’ is, ‘Well, he got the disease, so, you know!’”“If Biden is elected, it’s not like he’s going to magically end this pandemic. But he’ll at least take it seriously,” Oliver continued. “And it’s pretty bleak that that alone sounds good. But it really does. Because at this point, Trump is clearly bored of hearing about COVID. And I am sorry about that. But you know what’s been completely exhausting for the rest of us? Worrying about it all the time.”Oliver then revealed that multiple members of his show staff had contracted the disease earlier this year. “It was heart-wrenching being constantly concerned about their health,” he said. “And that concern hasn’t gone away. There are long-term and devastating effects for many who have recovered that we still don’t fully understand. People who are sick and dying can’t see their families, and cases are now spiking to record highs all over the country. This virus has taken so much from us: our peace of mind, our routines, and nearly a quarter of a million Americans. And it’s frankly pathetic that, in response, the only things Trump has offered people in this country over the past eight months are damaging lies, staggering incompetence, and occasionally, when he’s feeling generous, some shitty fucking pens.”Where to Watch Last Week Tonight:All products featured on Vanity Fair are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.More Great Stories From Vanity Fair— ﻿ Gal Gadot Is in a League of Her Own— A First Look at Diana and Margaret Thatcher in — in Rhyme for John Lithgow’s Trumpty Dumpty Book— Brace Yourself for George Clooney’s Apocalyptic Movie — The Streaming This October— Inside Netflix’s Latest , Emily in Paris— on Prince Charles and Princess Di— From the Archive: How Hollywood Sharks, Mafia Kingpins, and Cinematic Geniuses — Not a subscriber? to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. is a contributing writer at Vanity Fair.From the awards race to the box office, with everything in between: get the entertainment industry's must-read newsletter.

In December of 2019, John Oliver became an American citizen. “Everyone in that room is making a commitment that long outlasts the current president,” he in an interview earlier this year, before the coronavirus pandemic upended life around the world. “You’re vehemently endorsing the idea of America, because the idea is still perfect. That’s what was so moving about the ceremony.”Oliver’s duty to America came full circle this weekend, when he voted for the first time.“Look, I don’t need to tell you just how important Tuesday is. If you haven’t voted already, please do so. I did. I voted in...

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Christopher Rosen

Vanity Fair is a monthly magazine of popular culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast in the United States.  The first version of Vanity Fair was published from 1913 to 1936. The imprint was revived in 1983 and currently includes five international editions of the magazine. As of 2018, the Editor-in-Chief is Radhika Jones.

John Oliver Implores Viewers to Vote Trump Out in Final Show Before Election

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