John Oliver Offers Trump An Emmy — No, Really

Ever since Donald Trump declared his candidacy for president back in July of 2015, the media has been overflowing with pieces about him, from straightforward news articles to hilarious comedic takes. At this point, it's starting to seem like when it comes to making fun of Trump, there's been no stone left unturned. Yet on Oct. 23, John Oliver skewered Trump in the least predictable way: by offering him an Emmy.

Oliver opened his Sunday-night episode of Last Week Tonight with a segment on Trump, discussing the third debate and bringing Trump's most noteworthy moments to light. These included the point when Trump claimed that he would not necessarily accept the results of the election if he lost, which Oliver noted was far more potentially dangerous than anything else he's said so far. Viewers also got to see the moment when Hillary Clinton described how Trump claimed the Emmys were rigged because The Apprentice didn't win one, and Trump interrupted to say "I should have gotten it."

But instead of doubling down on all of Trump's missteps and threats to the very functioning of the American democratic experiment, John Oliver took a proactive route, trying to solve the problem of Trump by offering Trump his Emmy in return for a concession speech.

Really, it makes perfect sense. It's just bartering. Oliver has something Trump wants, and Trump has the ability to do something that Oliver wants him to. An Emmy in exchange for a concession speech, and thus a peaceful transition of power — what else could we need? Oliver even set it up as a bet, suggesting that Donald Trump bet against himself, thus winning even in the case of a loss. Trump has made it pretty clear how much he hates losing, so given the current election forecast, this could actually be a great way out for him.

Besides the occasional tweet, Trump has not gotten into the habit of responding to comedians who nail him. It seems pretty clear that Oliver would be happy to uphold his end of the bargain if Trump were to take him up on it. And why not? In that scenario, everyone would win. Trump would win an Emmy. Clinton would win the election and take office smoothly. Oliver would give up his Emmy, but gain something far, far better: the knowledge that he had saved the country from destruction.