President Trump has long been known for creating mean nicknames for politicians he doesn’t like, but to varying degrees of success in recent years — at least in the eyes of late night hosts. But, on Sunday night, John Oliver had to give the man credit for his nickname for James Talarico.
To kick off the latest episode of “Last Week Tonight,” the HBO host spent some time talking about the upcoming midterm elections, specifically the Texas senate race. Oliver noted that, according to recent polls, this race is “surprisingly in play” for Democrats, as Talarico is polling above Ken Paxton. Of course, Trump doesn’t call him James Talarico, he calls him “Tala-Freako.”
“Yeah, I get it” Oliver conceded. “I mean, what can you really say there? Even a rotting fruit’s still got some juice.”
The HBO host was far more amused with Trump’s opinion of Paxton, though. The president has endorsed him in this senate race, but according to Oliver, “it is not always easy to tell that, given how Trump tends to talk about him.” With that, a supercut began playing of Trump endorsing Paxton by roasting him.
“You know, we have a guy named Ken Paxton. And some people don’t like the way he dresses, or some people don’t like the way he interviews or talks,” Trump told the press once.
In another clip, the president once again made fun of Paxton’s dressing habits, as well as his speaking ability and his looks, but insisted he “might as well say it.”
“It is tough to pick a favorite part there, but I think mine is the sentence ‘It’s so insulting to him, but I might as well say it,’” Oliver said, stifling a laugh. “Yeah! You definitely might as well, given it seems you’ve already said it 400 different times!”
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” is now streaming on HBO Max.
