John Oliver returned to his show “Last Week Tonight” for its 12th season premiere, just four weeks into President Trump’s second term. Oliver criticized the administration’s actions, particularly those of Elon Musk, who is heading the Department of Government Efficiency. Oliver called out Musk’s offer for federal employees to take deferred resignations, saying, “Take this money now or risk being eliminated isn’t how you run the federal government.” He also mocked Musk’s young hires, some in their teens, who are turning agency offices into makeshift bedrooms.
“Imagine being a federal worker and having to listen to a guy who wasn’t alive for 9/11 say to you, ‘You’re being downsized. Please leave this office which is now my bedroom,'” Oliver quipped. He highlighted the questionable backgrounds of some of Musk’s minions, including one who espoused eugenics on social media and another named Edward Coristine, fired from a previous internship for leaking proprietary information.
Oliver critiques Musk’s hires
Oliver joked, “I expected better of Big Balls…or as he’s now known, senior adviser at the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security.”
Oliver also criticized Musk’s claim of spending a weekend “feeding USAID into the wood chopper,” noting that Musk’s companies have numerous government contracts while being under investigation by various agencies. “This all feels fast and headspinningly corrupt,” Oliver said.
The host found solace in a viral TikTok song called “Hostile Government Takeover,” which he suggested could be the new national anthem. Oliver acknowledged the challenges ahead but encouraged finding joy where one can. “The potential for pain is devastating, as is the sheer amount of it that has already been doled out,” he said.
“Now is absolutely not the time to be looking away and saying ‘this is what you voted for’ and turning your backs… What’s ahead of us is going to be exhausting.”