John Oliver fights back tears and asks viewers to vote for Kamala Harris
John Oliver got emotional during the final episode of ‘Last Week Tonight’ before the US elections and urged his viewers to vote for Kamala Harris.
While Oliver acknowledged that he has spent most of this election season’s airtime discussing all the reasons not to vote for Donald Trump, he confirmed that he will vote for Harris on Tuesday — even if her policies aren’t perfect. Born in Britain, Oliver became a US citizen in 2019 and this year marks his second time voting in a US presidential election.
“Elections alone are not effective for large-scale change, but they are absolutely necessary if this is ever going to happen,” Oliver said. “Because it’s the day where you essentially get to choose who you want to push most over the next four years and where you’re going to push them from.”
Holding back tears, Oliver continued, “Look, I love this country. I am an immigrant. I chose to be here. In the words of the late, great Lee Greenwood: I am proud to be an American. And I would say there is nothing more American than having a healthy, adversarial relationship with those in power, even if you vote for them.”
Oliver noted that “this was not a very uplifting speech,” and to end on a positive note, he made the point that if Trump doesn’t win this election, he probably won’t run for office again.
“I know he was going to put us through hell before he left the stage, but when the dust settled, he had lost two elections in a row and would be campaigning as an 82-year-old next time. I think he would be ready,” he said. “And doesn’t that sound great? I know, of course the problems he is a symptom of would continue, but we wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a world where he is no longer an active threat, but just an annoyance?”
“I really want to live in that world,” Oliver concluded. “And I hope that in the next 48 hours everyone will do everything they can to make that world possible.”
Watch Oliver’s full segment on “Last Week Tonight” below.
