John Oliver opened his latest episode of Last Week Tonight with footage of Donald Trump's partial demolition of the White House East Wing to build a $300m, 90,000sq ft gilded ballroom. Oliver described the style as 'Med Spa Versailles' and noted the demolition was just the tip of an iceberg of authoritarian moves.
Oliver highlighted Trump's demand that the justice department pay him $230m as restitution for legal cases, a demand that would be approved by two cabinet members. Trump also posted an AI video of himself defecating on protesters, abandoned trade talks with Canada over a TV ad, and authorised a $20bn bailout to Argentina.
Most shockingly, Oliver said, Trump approved military strikes on boats allegedly smuggling drugs, killing about 40 people without public evidence. Trump plans further strikes in Venezuela without congressional approval, saying 'We're just going to kill people.' Oliver called this chilling and noted the lack of checks and balances.
In his main segment, Oliver turned to Medicare Advantage, a private alternative to traditional Medicare. While offering low upfront costs and extra benefits, it costs taxpayers significantly more. A Medpac report estimated it cost the government an extra $591bn over 18 years, partly due to insurers inflating billing for serious conditions.
