The logo for the Daily Beast's Obsessed website. It reads: 'Obsessed: What to Watch, Binge, See, & Skip'
DAILY BEAST
Membership call to action crossword iconCrosswordNewsletters
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • Reality TV
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      Racefranchise orientation badge

      John Oliver Goes Nuclear on Trump for Invoking George Floyd: ‘Utterly F*cking Disgusting’

      NO BOTTOM

      The “Last Week Tonight” host couldn’t believe the president invoked the slain man’s name in a jobs speech—nor can he believe how much people are focusing on looters.

      Marlow Stern

      Marlow Stern

      Updated Jun. 08, 2020 3:36AM EDT / Published Jun. 08, 2020 12:02AM EDT 

      HBO

      On Sunday night, after one of the more chaotic weeks in recent memory, John Oliver returned to the stripped-down set of Last Week Tonight to recap the madness.

      “All week long, protesters have continued to fill the streets in all 50 states in the wake of the horrific murder of George Floyd by the police,” he said. “And in response to those protests, which have been a stirring pushback against institutional racism and brutality, it’s been frankly sickening to see them met with this.”

      The comedian then aired a montage of police using military-style tactics on protesters—drowning them in tear gas, beating them with batons, and showering them with pepper spray, in many instances for the high crime of light heckling.

        “If police are trying to convince the public they’re not guilty of displaying excessive force, it’s probably not a good idea to repeatedly display excessive force on national television—including in this city, where Mayor de Blasio praised them for their “tremendous restraint” and Governor Cuomo threatened to send in the National Guard,” explained Oliver. “And I’ll say this: Having recently said I couldn’t wait to go back to hating Andrew Cuomo again, I didn’t think an opportunity would come quite this soon.”

        Then there was the matter of President Trump, who has a history of promoting police brutality and playing the role of tough guy, yet hid in a bunker when protesters gathered outside the heavily fortified White House.

        “Now as for the president himself, he initially hid from the protesters in a bunker, later claiming he wasn’t hiding, he was just “inspecting” it,” cracked Oliver. “Then, his attorney general had police gas protesters outside the White House so that Trump could have an inexplicable photo op at a nearby church while holding up a Bible like it’s the ticket for his sandwich order that was just called. He also, in announcing jobs numbers on Friday, invoked George Floyd’s name, saying, “This is a great day for him,” which is utterly fucking disgusting.” (Trump later retweeted a tweet attacking George Floyd’s character.)

        Oliver also took aim at the media and members of the public for focusing so much attention on looters instead of the unarmed black people being massacred.

        “If you said the name ‘Macy’s’ more than you said the name ‘Breonna Taylor’ this week, you can very much fuck off,” he said. “Likewise, if you’re asking why a spontaneous decentralized protest can’t control every one of its participants more than you are asking the same of a taxpayer-funded heavy-regimented paid work force, you can also, in the words of this generation’s Robert Frost, ‘Suck my dick and choke on it. Fuck you.’”

        Marlow Stern

        Marlow Stern

        @marlownyc

        Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

        READ THIS LIST

        DAILY BEAST
        • Cheat Sheet
        • Politics
        • Entertainment
        • Media
        • World
        • Innovation
        • U.S. News
        • Scouted
        • Travel
        • Subscription
        • Crossword
        • Newsletters
        • Podcasts
        • About
        • Contact
        • Tips
        • Jobs
        • Advertise
        • Help
        • Privacy
        • Code of Ethics & Standards
        • Diversity
        • Terms & Conditions
        • Copyright & Trademark
        • Sitemap
        • Best Picks
        • Coupons
        • Coupons:
        • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
        • HP Coupon Codes
        • Chewy Promo Codes
        • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
        • NordVPN Coupons
        • JCPenny Coupons
        • Nordstrom Coupons
        • Samsung Promo Coupons
        • Home Depot Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • eBay Coupons
        • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
        © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC