John Oliver Explains Why Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner Aren’t Going to Save the White House

“If they are the reason you are sleeping at night, you should probably still be awake.”


On the latest Last Week Tonight, John Oliver challenged the popular belief that President Donald Trump’s closest advisers, his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, are moderating forces in the White House. According to Oliver, Americans should be concerned, because despite the incredible level of power the couple wields within the administration, the two have little to no actual political experience.

He began by specifically calling out Ivanka’s history of publicly supporting progressive issues, such as paid maternity leave and climate change, while standing by her father, as his administration sets out to defund Planned Parenthood and limit the role of science and evidence-based policies in government.

“The assumption that many of us have that she disagrees with him isn’t actually based on much,” Oliver said.

Oliver then questioned what qualifications Kushner may or may not have to merit his increasingly stacked White House duties, which range from reforming veteran care to brokering peace in the Middle East.

“If they are the reason you are sleeping at night, you should probably still be awake.”

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And the essential ingredient that makes all this possible? Readers like you.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to devote the time and resources to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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