In another timeline, Melania Trump basically saying “f*ck Christmas” (her actual phrasing: “I’m working… my ass off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f*ck about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I need to do it, right?”) would deserve an entire episode of Last Week Tonight. But because last week was so jam-packed with other, bigger headlines, like the president refusing to condemn a white supremacy group during his debate with Joe Biden, the first lady coming after Santa only got a brief mention by John Oliver in the lead-up to the segment.
Instead, Oliver focused on Donald Trump (and Melania, and Hope Hicks, and Chris Christie, and John Jenkins, and…) testing positive for coronavirus after months of downplaying its severity. “It was news that was felt shocking and utterly inevitable,” he said. “So many of the decisions that Trump and those around him made this week look absolutely appalling in hindsight, from his family refusing to wear masks at Tuesday’s debate, to failing to notify anyone on the Biden team that they may have been exposed, to the fact that the fundraiser he attended just before testing positive was a fucking buffet,” adding, “But maybe the event that looks the worst took place last weekend.”
That would be the ceremony in the White House Rose Garden to celebrate Trump’s latest Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett (who tested positive for coronavirus over the summer). There was hugging and handshakes, but few masks. Oliver said:
“Much like the slew of utterly horrifying Supreme Court rulings over the next few decades, it seems we may look back on Saturday’s White House event and say, ‘All of this began there.’ And there is something utterly infuriating about watching them hugging each other when many in this country haven’t seen their families for months or have died alone in a hospital. And it’s not just that they’re putting themselves at risk, more importantly, it’s that they’re risking infecting others. The thing about a highly contagious virus is your recklessness could end up killing someone you never meet.”
Oliver ended the segment by echoing Trump’s message for the Proud Boys: “This week more than ever, proves that in the midst of a pandemic, when you act without caution, you cannot expect a virus to stand back and stand by.” He also covered the election (oh yeah, that!) during Sunday’s episode, which you can watch below.