John Oliver returned to the desk on Sunday night after a two-week absence to highlight what he views as a troubling trend within the Republican Party ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. The host spent the entire episode discussing the party’s apparent affinity for Nazi ideology, Variety reports. He started by pointing to Peter Oberacker, a candidate for New York’s 19th congressional district.
Oberacker previously shared a Facebook photo on Veterans Day of his grandfather dressed in a Wehrmacht uniform. The candidate later claimed it was the only picture of his relative he possessed. “Yeah, not great!” exclaimed Oliver. “If that is the only picture that you have, maybe consider having no pictures of him! You can sit Veterans Day out. No one will think that’s weird.”
The conversation shifted to Elon Musk, who appeared to perform a Nazi salute while at a rally for President Trump in 2025. Oliver noted that the gesture seemed to mimic Nazi imagery. He joked about the aesthetic, stating, “Everything about that screams, ‘Nazi!’” adding, “Well, almost everything. To be fair to the Nazis, unlike Elon, they at least looked sharp in their suits.”
Oliver claimed that the Republican Party has grown comfortable with what he described as Nazi-adjacent behavior
He cited Paul Ingrassia, a nominee for the Office of Special Counsel who withdrew after leaked chats showed him saying, “I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it.” He also mentioned Brandon Herrera, a Texas congressional candidate who posted a 2022 YouTube video featuring an MP-40 he labeled as “Hitler’s street sweeper.” The video included footage of Herrera and a friend goose-stepping to a march.
The program also addressed comments from Karl Rove, who warned at the Texas Tribune Festival that the party faces issues with “bigots” such as Bo French. Rove specifically called out Nick Fuentes, a figure who has met with various Republican leaders.
Oliver argued that the war in Gaza has led some on the far-right to embrace antisemitic conspiracy theories. This includes Tucker Carlson, who hosted a podcast interview with Fuentes. Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, defended the interview by claiming Carlson was under attack from “globalist forces.” Roberts later claimed he does not pay attention to the news.
Fuentes has used his podcast to claim that “whites built everything” and to attack Jewish people with various slurs. Oliver found it ironic that Carlson would frame the interview as a chance for Fuentes to speak his mind, given that Fuentes has spent significant time sharing his views online. Fuentes has gained influence within the party, with figures like Paul Gosar and Marjorie Taylor Greene speaking at his events. President Trump also hosted Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago in 2022, alongside Kanye West.
Oliver noted that the Republican Party faces a significant challenge regarding Holocaust denial. He referenced a Manhattan Institute analysis suggesting that 37 percent of the GOP believes the Holocaust was exaggerated or did not happen. This sentiment is reportedly higher among men under 50. The host pushed back against the idea that this is merely a fringe issue involving young people. He criticized JD Vance for downplaying leaked group chats from Young Republican leaders as something that “kids do.”
“The far-right fringe currently rising up in this party is not remotely new, from the John Birch Society through Barry Goldwater and Pat Buchanan, the Republican Party has always left its door ajar for bigots, cranks and conspiracy theorists,” asserted Oliver.
The episode closed by highlighting Marshall Rawson, a candidate for Florida House District 10 who marched with neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. Oliver noted that when asked about Rawson, most GOP officials refused to denounce him. He concluded that these views are no longer ignorable, especially with elections just nine days away.
Published: Oct 26, 2026 07:15 pm