John Oliver took intention at President Donald Trump‘s plans for a “huge” ballroom — something he’s completed before and likewise before that — and his contradictory claims over upgrades on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight.
Oliver began out by pointing to Trump‘s social media put up amid his journey to China whereby he famous that “China has a Ballroom, and so should the U.S.A.! It is under construction ahead of schedule and will be the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the U.S.A.”
Mentioned Oliver: “Because incredibly, despite everything going on in the world right now, Trump’s still relentlessly focused on what’s been called a ‘sweeping makeover’ of the White House and Washington D.C. In the past year, he’s installed two massive flagpoles, a Presidential Walk of Fame outside the White House, paved over 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 confirmed video of Trump final week making the argument that each one of those upgrades are mandatory.
“This place was not properly taken care of,” Trump stated. “I was told by my wife, ‘You have to act presidential, so don’t use foul language.’ I won’t. Therefore, normally I would have said it was a shithouse, but I don’t want to say that.”
Mentioned Oliver: “OK, to be clear, Trump’s foul language isn’t what’s been stopping him from being presidential. Simply not cursing wouldn’t make Trump a fitting president in the same way that a white coat wouldn’t make [Philadelphia Flyers mascot] Gritty a practicing oncologist.”
Oliver then turned again to the subject of the ballroom Trump has ordered to be constructed, which the Final Week Tonight host referred to as Trump’s “most ambitious project” whereas noting that it “has spiraled out of control.” When the mission was first introduced, the White Home stated it might value about $200 million and be paid for by Trump and donors.
“Since then, the projected cost has gone up to $300 million, then $400 million,” Oliver stated. “And last week, he argued the only reason the cost has changed is because after ‘deep-rooted studies,’ the ballroom’s approximately ‘twice the size.’ And when a reporter dared to ask him about that on Tuesday, he kind of lost his shit.”
Oliver confirmed a clip of Trump speaking to reporters claiming that the the mission is underneath funds. “I’ve doubled the size of it because we obviously need that, and we’re right now on budget, under budget, and ahead of schedule,” he stated. When requested by a feminine reporter in regards to the funds doubling, Trump replied: “I doubled the size of it, you dumb person. You are not a smart person.”
Mentioned Oliver: “OK, OK, I know it is not unusual for him to demean a female journalist, but even by his standards, that was bad. The only time it’s OK to yell ‘you dumb person’ at anyone is, as I think we all know, if you’re watching Jeopardy, and you know the answer, but the contestants don’t: ‘Who is Emily Dickinson, you fucking idiot?! Nineteenth-century largely unpublished female poet from Massachusetts — who is Emily Dickinson? You’re not a smart person.’”
Oliver then went on to speak in regards to the reflecting pool upgrades, which went from about $2 million in estimated repairs to $13 million, and the truth that Trump stated he was “gonna call three guys who I know worked on my swimming pools, which — come on — that is not how to fix a national memorial, it sounds more like the start of an incredible post-divorce girls’ weekend for Deborah,” Oliver joked.
The Final Week Tonight host additionally pointed to the contradictions in Trump’s statements that he was going to achieve out to some contractors he knew to later claiming he didn’t know the contractor who received the contract after it was revealed to be a no-bid contract.
“Look, is this the most important thing this president could be doing right now? Of course it isn’t,” Oliver stated. “That would be a tie between learning where Iran is on a map and finally listening to the three ghosts who’ve been waking him up every Christmas Eve for the last 70 years. It should really go without saying, if you are a president who’d rather focus on ballroom construction and pool maintenance than the crucial work of actually running a country, then I think it is fair to say, to borrow a phrase that I heard recently, you are not a smart fucking person.”
