John Oliver said the reaction to last week’s final debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden shows just how low the bar’s been set for Trump.
Oliver played a clip of TV analysts praising the debate for being relatively normal, including CNN’s Becky Anderson who noted that “no one set themselves on fire” during the event.
“Yeah, true,” Oliver cracked. “Although historically the bar for succeeding at these events has been a little higher than ‘nobody burned alive.’ This is a presidential debate, not a beginner’s fire-juggling class at the community center.”
The host of “Last Week Tonight” said that even during last week’s seemingly normal debate (by Trump standards), the president still managed to let loose a stream of statements that “would’ve been an act of self-immolation” for anyone else.
Trump, he said, lied throughout the debate, including a brazenly false claim that the nation was “rounding the turn” on the coronavirus pandemic despite sharply rising cases in much of the country.
“What is really sad is that when people claim Trump was on his best behavior, that’s actually true,” Oliver said. “But his best behavior is still absolutely appalling.”
Oliver also noted that when Trump declared himself “the least racist person in the room,” that room included members of his family.
“So, he’s effectively throwing them under the bus there, too,” Oliver said.
But much of Oliver’s show was focused on immigration, particularly the plight of those seeking asylum:
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