John Oliver mocks Trump for 'turning Christian' after ex-POTUS slams Paris Olympics opening ceremony

The 'Last Week Tonight' host was shading Trump over his remark that Kamala Harris 'turned Black' for political reasons
PUBLISHED AUG 5, 2024
John Oliver mocked Trump over his reaction to the Olympics opening ceremony (LastWeekTonight/Getty images)
John Oliver mocked Trump over his reaction to the Olympics opening ceremony (LastWeekTonight/Getty images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: On Sunday’s episode of 'Last Week Tonight', John Oliver turned his attention to the latest political and cultural events, with Donald Trump once again providing a wealth of material.

The comedian opened the show by examining Trump’s recent “disastrous appearance” before the National Association of Black Journalists, where Trump made contriversial statements about Vice President Kamala Harris’ ethnicity.

Trump’s misguided remarks on Kamala Harris leaves John Oliver scratching his head

According to Deadline, Trump said at the NABJ convention, “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black.”

Reacting to this, Oliver remarked, “I mean this in the most disparaging way as possible: That went about as well as could be expected. Putting Trump in front of a Black audience and asking him to speak on race was never going to get more elevated than, ‘The lady said she was both Indian and Black, that is cheating!'”

(Getty Images)
John Oliver mocked Trump's remarks, noting they went as expected and were nothing more than confused and insensitive (Getty Images)

Oliver also commented on the complexities of Harris’s background — her father is Black and her mother is Indian — and humorously speculated about the thoughts of JD Vance, who has three biracial children.

Oliver joked, “I cannot imagine what JD Vance, a man with three biracial children was thinking while watching Trump there. Although, you know what? He was probably thinking, ‘Look at that luscious upholstery. Do you think those cushions come all the way off?'”

Paris Olympics opening ceremony sparks controversy

The conversation then shifted to the recent Olympic opening ceremony, which had caused controversy for its perceived resemblance to Leonardo da Vinci’s 'The Last Supper' with drag queens. In reality, the performance was inspired by Greek mythology.

John Oliver sparked a wave of admiration among netizens after slamming ‘bloodthirsty’ Israel-Hamas rhetoric at the start of HBO‘s “Last Week Tonight”. (HBO)
Oliver noted Trump’s sudden concern for religion, calling it odd given his recent shift to Christianity (HBO)

Trump had criticized the ceremony as “a disgrace,” which led Oliver to reflect on Trump’s seemingly newfound interest in religious matters.

“It’s always strange to watch Trump act like he cares about religions. Because to echo something I heard someone say recently, 'I didn’t know he was a Christian until a number of years ago when he happened to turn Christian. All of a sudden, he made a turn and became a Christian person.'”

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

DeWine calls for 'Nixon to China' shift to expand legal immigration pathways
3 hours ago
Governor Mike Braun said the court addressed a constitutional issue but insisted that tariffs remained vital to correcting decades of trade imbalance
3 hours ago
Treasury secretary: Court ruling narrow; administration has tools to maintain tariffs
3 hours ago
The administration will shift to Sections 301 and 232 to replace emergency levies, which Greer called 'durable tools' for lasting tariff enforcement
7 hours ago
Josh Shapiro says president’s tariffs, immigration actions hurt Americans, raise legal concerns
7 hours ago
Agents, deputies fatally shoot armed suspect at Mar-a-Lago during breach attempt at perimeters
9 hours ago
Travelers will face longer security and customs lines as officers shift to general screening during the partial shutdown now entering its second week
9 hours ago
Zohran Mamdani urged New Yorkers to step in as emergency snow shovelers as the city braces for a blizzard that could dump nearly two feet of snow
15 hours ago
At the Governors Dinner, Trump playfully singled out Abbott’s pricey requests while highlighting his influence in Texas politics
15 hours ago
Kaitlan Collins suggested the banner blurred the traditional boundary between the White House and the Justice Department
16 hours ago