John Oliver slams ‘Trump of the East’ on Last Week Tonight

John Oliver covers the Philippines leading presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte, who has been labeled the “Trump of the East”

On the eve of the Philippines presidential election, John Oliver devoted the main portion of Sunday’s Last Week Tonight to introducing viewers to Rodrigo Duterte, who is expected to be elected to the country’s highest position despite his many controversial statements and policy stances, which have earned him comparisons to presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.

Oliver began the segment by noting that Trump – who he described as a “sentient circus peanut” with “tiny racoon-sized hands” – has essentially wrapped up the Republican nomination despite the Internet’s claims that the comedian had destroyed, demolished and eviscerated him on his show. To provide solace and give some perspective to those who are depressed by this latest development, the host spotlighted the rise of the so-called “Trump of the East” in the Philippines, who leads by double digits in the polls even though he has made headlines for his remarks about gay people, rape, and the Pope – who he referred to as a “son of a b—-” – as well as his overzealous support for capital punishment.

The motorcycle-riding, long-time mayor of Davao City made waves when he officiated a mass wedding and offered himself to the brides, stating, “I don’t have money to give but I could give your wives something else. This is for the wives only, men. I’m sorry you don’t get anything because I’m not a queer.”

“That kind of homophobia during a wedding usually only happens when the father of the bride has six whiskey sours and decides to tell everyone what he really thinks about Cam and Mitchell on Modern Family,” Oliver quipped.

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Duterte’s other transgressions include routinely kissing his female supporters, and pledging that he would kill at least five criminals every week after his town’s death squads have claimed the lives of over 1,000 people – all of which have earned him the “Trump of the East” label, which Oliver joked used to only refer to “a burned wonton covered in scarecrow pubes.” The politician has even admitted to killing at least three people.

Despite all of this, Duterte and policies remain popular, with the majority of Davao City residents approving of death squads. However, his most incendiary remark came when he suggested that he should have been the first to rape an Australian missionary who was brutally murdered and gang-raped in 1989 in the jail in the city where he was and continues to be mayor today because she was “so beautiful,” calling it “a waste.”

“Okay, let this be a lesson to all of us: When we say, ‘I just want a politician who’ll tell me what he really thinks,’ we should specify that that politician should not be a total f—— monster,” Oliver concluded, before displaying a “terrifying” image of a potential state visit between Trump and his Philippine counterpart. Watch the entire clip here.

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Trump supporters may bristle at the comparison, but Duterte himself has stated that he doesn’t appreciate being likened to the brash billionaire, telling Time last month: “It’s one thing to be loudmouth but another to be a bigot.” CNN reports that the controversial figure appears poised to become the Philippines’ next president after his closest rival conceded defeat Monday night, leading with 38.92% of the vote.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver airs Sundays at 11 p.m on HBO.