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Why Is Donald Drumpf So Insanely Popular?

by Hillary E. Crawford

The Feb. 28 episode of Last Week Tonight dedicated an entire 22 minutes to delegitimizing GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump — and that was just the beginning. Based on a segment from the March 6 episode, Oliver is nowhere near finished campaigning to #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain. Thank goodness. A Donald Drumpf update from Oliver is always welcome. In comparison to what we've seen thus far from the GOP, the humorous (albeit vicious) tirades are probably the most delightful thing to happen on television this election season.

In the first Last Week Tonight segment following Oliver's thorough introduction to Donald Drumpf, he noted with some disappointment that many voters remain loyal to Trump, even after presumably watching the takedown. Even so, he reminded voters of the parodic campaign with a quick plug:

It does appear that Republican voters, for the time being, have decided not to make Donald Drumpf Again — hashtag Make Donald Drumpf Again.

Specifically, Trump won seven states on Super Tuesday, and another two the following Saturday. However, his margin of victory on Saturday was minuscule, and Texas Senator Ted Cruz walked out with the highest number of delegates. Mitt Romney's all-out attack on Trump following Super Tuesday may have contributed to the candidate's loss. On an entirely different note, Romney's offensive perfectly facilitated a smooth follow-up to Oliver's original Drumpf segment:

In fact, Trump's opponents spent the week seeming increasingly desperate ... To truly reject an organ, you need white blood cells, and the GOP called up the whitest blood cell of them all.
George Frey/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Moving on, Oliver traced the conversation back to the Drumpf segment, incorporating a talking point he supposedly didn't have time to feature the previous Sunday evening. Conveniently, it perfectly fit in with the week's penis banter among Trump and Rubio. Ivana Trump, the billionaire's first wife, conjured up a scenario back in the day that's too hilariously cringeworthy to be omitted from the narrative of Donald Drumpf and his ... sexual abilities ... which he defended during a national debate. Ivana wrote a novel called For Love Alone, which includes a sex scene that could have been based on her and Trump. Part of me wishes Oliver would have spared us all.

In a moment, they were on the floor, on top of the mink coat, Katrinka's legs gripping his waist ...
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

How has Oliver's Donald Drumpf campaign managed to get arguably more attention than actual Republican legislators' serious cautions against electing Trump as GOP nominee? There's an incredibly simple answer: Oliver isn't a politician, and therefore, we trust him. At the very worst, Oliver is putting down Trump in order to gain viewers and boost his own show's popularity. On the other hand, America is constantly suspicious that politicians have ulterior motives and special interests that are much less admirable.

It's incredibly difficult for a politician to come across as genuine. It's much more easy for Oliver, who has avoided speaking about Trump until now, to appear likable and trustworthy. In his sphere of satirical talk shows, humor is an absolute necessity, because it brings people together and lightens what's otherwise a pretty grim outlook on America's political situation. His funny commentary has the ability to make politics interesting to even the least political of people.

In a convoluted way, Donald Trump also brings people together. He capitalizes on common words and rudimentary insults — "stupid," "dopey," "loser" — that anyone can understand. His juvenile tendencies are all a part of a strategy to seem accessible and normal. How else could a billionaire real-estate mogul appeal to such a diverse population that includes voters who have yet to make enough money to reach even middle class status?

Trump's not stupid, and neither is Oliver. As opposed to uniting people with childish humor that has no place in the political sphere, Oliver has united people through sophisticated humor which sheds light on bigger truths about American politics. As a person who's removed from the political sphere, he may be the only one who could have pulled it off.

If Oliver continues to talk about Donald Drumpf — and something tells me he will — expect him to begin incorporating the now-infamous mink coat. Yes, we're currently making predictions about a satirical campaign which Oliver created, as opposed to focusing our attention on politicians' numerous pleas to stop the frontrunner in his tracks.