John Oliver Exposes Donald Trump's and Pete Hegseth's 'Lies'

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver criticized President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, stating that they had pushed "truth to the breaking point" with "flagrant lies" regarding the ongoing conflict in Iran.

Oliver specifically targeted the administration's narrative surrounding "Operation Epic Fury," mocking the name as "the stupidest" he had ever heard.

“At the risk of not being a patriotic member of the press,” the British comedian said, “A lot of things do seem to be going pretty poorly.”

“The lies are getting pretty flagrant here,” the late-night anchor said, “Even by this president’s standards.”

Oliver countered administration claims by noting that despite "relentless bombing," the U.S. had failed to stop Iran from striking regional targets or blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

“From strikes on Iran’s oil facilities causing toxic black rain endangering the public there to the continued blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, which is causing skyrocketing gas prices,” Oliver said.

The comedian then blasted Trump, who previously declared victory in the still ongoing military conflict, saying, he “seems desperate to paint this situation as much more stable than it actually is.”

“Here is the problem with that. He already declared that we’d won the war 11 days ago. And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it has seemed to continue since then,” Oliver noted.

“He’s also claimed we’ve destroyed 100 percent of Iran’s military capability, which is a little hard to believe given they’re still somehow managing to strike multiple other countries in the region,” Oliver said. “And he claimed twice this week that a former president endorsed his decision to go to war, something they’ve all since denied."

The segment featured clips of Hegseth attempting to bypass the press to speak "directly" to "patriotic" Americans.

“We’re winning decisively and on our terms,” Hegseth baselessly exclaimed.

Oliver criticized the combative former Fox News host for attacking cable news — specifically CNN — for reporting that the administration had underestimated the war's impact on global shipping.

Oliver mocked Hegseth for claiming the Strait of Hormuz was "wide open" despite reports of floating water mines, comparing Hegseth's advice to tankers to "close your eyes and gun it" like a DUI checkpoint.

The award-winning host raised alarms over FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's threats to broadcasters that did not "course correct" their Middle East coverage, characterizing it as a dangerous level of government pressure on the press.

Oliver concluded that the administration was prioritizing "spectacle over all else" and that the level of dishonesty was remarkable, even by this president's standards.