John Oliver Slams Trump Shout-Down Of “Not Thankful” Zelensky As “Awful” Spectacle: “He’s A President In The Middle Of A War, Not A Toddler Opening A Present From Meemaw”​on March 3, 2025 at 4:14 pm

John Oliver, to say the least, didn’t think the Trump-Vance White House ambush of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday was “great television,” as President Trump asserted just as his berating of Zelensky was winding down.

“That depends,” Oliver said on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight. “Is watching the president sh*t on a weaker ally for not wanting to be conquered while his goon VP tries to see if he can wrap his lips around his boss’ asshole from a neighboring couch good television? I’d argue it’s more hit your TV with a hammer until the pain stops television, but reasonable people can disagree.”

During the public Oval Office meeting between Zelensky, Trump, Vice President JD Vance and others, Trump loudly berated Zelensky for “gambling with World War III” (for the record, Russia invade Ukraine, not vice versa). Vance jumped in to chastise Zelensky for being “disrespectful” and not thanking Trump enough.

Said Oliver, “He shouldn’t be constantly urged to say thank you — he’s a president in the middle of a war, not a toddler opening a present from Meemaw.”

“The whole spectacle was awful,” Oliver said. “The Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. had her head in her hands, Marco Rubio seemed to be actively trying to sink inside the couch and, for what it’s worth, Zelensky has thanked Americans and the U.S. 33 times at the very least, which feels like enough.”

Oliver also weighed in on Trump’s post-meeting comments criticizing Zelensky’s complaints about Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He doesn’t have to stand there and say about Putin this, Putin that — all negative things,” Trump said.

Oliver’s take: “Yeah, what’s Putin ever done to Zelensky other than kill tens of thousands of people and cause untold damage to his country? Can’t he find anything good to say about him?”