John Oliver highlights 37% of GOP who allegedly question the Holocaust. Then he names candidates openly marching with neo-Nazis
“I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it.”
John Oliver recently returned to the desk at Last Week Tonight after a two-week break. He spent the entire episode detailing a worrying trend within the Republican Party. According to Variety, the late-night host focused on a rise in Nazi-adjacent rhetoric and behavior ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Oliver highlighted several specific candidates who hold concerning ties to extremist groups.
He pointed to Peter Oberacker, who is running for a congressional seat in New York. Back in 2015, Oberacker posted a photo on Facebook of his grandfather wearing a Wehrmacht uniform. This grandfather fought for Nazi Germany. Oberacker claimed it was the only photo he had of him. Oliver noted, “Yeah, not great! 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 late-night host highlighted a Manhattan Institute analysis regarding the GOP. It suggests that nearly 37% of the current party believes the Holocaust was greatly exaggerated or did not happen as historians described. This number includes 54% of men under 50. Leaked group chats from Young Republican groups have shown members praising Hitler and using racial slurs.
The list of concerning figures continues
Paul Ingrassia, who was nominated by the President for the Office of Special Counsel, withdrew after leaked chats surfaced. He had admitted in those messages, “I do have a Nazi streak in me from time to time, I will admit it.” Another candidate, Brandon Herrera, posted a video in 2022 where he called the MP-40 “Hitler’s street sweeper.” The video featured him and a friend goose-stepping to a Nazi marching song.
Even veteran political figures are raising alarms. Karl Rove recently warned that the party is being taken over by bigots. He specifically mentioned Bo French, a candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner. Rove highlighted how Nick Fuentes meets with Republican leaders and stated, “This guy is a Nazi.”
The host also discussed Elon Musk. He noted that Musk delivered what appeared to be a Nazi salute to supporters at a rally in 2025. Oliver remarked, “Everything about that screams, ‘Nazi!’” He added, “Well, almost everything. To be fair to the Nazis, unlike Elon, they at least looked sharp in their suits.”
Oliver suggested that the genocide in Gaza, Palestine, has encouraged some on the far-right to push antisemitic conspiracy theories. He pointed to Tucker Carlson’s interview with Fuentes. Kevin Roberts, the president of the Heritage Foundation, defended Carlson initially. He claimed the host was being attacked by globalist forces. He later walked back this defense by claiming he does not pay attention to the news. Oliver found this excuse laughable for the head of a major think tank.
Fuentes has been known for extreme statements
The far-right political commentator has claimed that whites built everything and that Jewish people are money-changers and manipulators. He has also referred to them as obnoxious people from the third world. Oliver noted the irony of Carlson giving such a platform to a man who spends thousands of hours on the internet saying whatever he wants.
This problem extends into the mainstream of the party. Congressman Paul Gosar gave a keynote speech at the America First Political Action Conference in 2021. Marjorie Taylor Greene followed suit the next year. The President also dined with Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago in 2022. Oliver recalled that this event was arranged by Kanye West, who had previously tweeted about going death con 3 on Jewish people.
Some figures like J.D. Vance have dismissed these incidents as kids doing stupid things
Oliver pushed back on this characterization by the vice president. He noted that these people are actually adults in their 20s and 30s, arguing that the far-right fringe is not a new development. He traced this history from the John Birch Society to Barry Goldwater and Pat Buchanan, suggesting that the party has long left its door open for bigots and conspiracy theorists.
Other candidates like Marshall Rawson are also causing concern. Rawson is running for the Florida House and previously marched with neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. When 28 GOP officials were asked if they would denounce him, only three responded. Two of those officials stood by him.
Oliver concluded that these far-right views are not irrelevant or ignorable. Some of these individuals are on the ballot soon. He noted that the party is at a crossroads and it appeared as though its next version was being shaped by white nationalists and neo-Nazis.
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