WE'RE BACK WITH A YOUNG MAN THAT THE HARPERS SADLY CALL JOHN

OLIVER.

JOHN.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WITH ME.

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE COMMERCIAL BREAK?

HOW DID YOU FILL THE EMPTY SPACE WHERE IS WE USED TO TALK?

>> I FILLED THE EMPTY SPACES THE WAY I THINK ANY EMPTY SPACES ARE

FILLED NOW WHICH IS YOU MOMENTARILY GET DISTRAGHTED,

THINK YOU'RE HAVING FUN AND A WAVE OF REALIZATION HITS YOU AND

THE DARKNESS WILL DESCEND.

>> Stephen: WONDERFUL.

KEEP IT LIGHT.

( LAUGHTER ) KEEP IT LIGHT.

IT'S STILL LATE NIGHT.

IT'S STILL LATE NIGHT, BUDDY.

KEEP THE BALLOON IN THE AIR.

>> COME ON!

A LITTLE TIME BEFORE CORDON IS HERE.

>> Stephen: EXACTLY.

THERE'S BEEN AN INTERESTING CHANGE IN, I THINK, PEOPLE'S

REACTION TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES RIGHT NOW.

HE'S CHANGED AS A PUBLIC FIGURE, IN MY OPINION, BECAUSE, YOU

KNOW, IN MOMENTS OF GREAT CRISIS, GREAT MEN RISE TO MEET

THEM OR GREAT LEADERS RISE TO MEET IT, BUT IF THEY DON'T, THE

MOMENT STILL STAYS GREAT, AND THEY'RE DIMINISHED BY

COMPARISON.

>> RIGHT.

>> Stephen: AND ALSO DIMINISHED AS THE OFFICE OF THE

PRESIDENCY AT THE SAME TIME.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF HIS HANDLING OF THE CRISIS SO FAR?

>> I MEAN, I'LL BE INTERESTED IN HEARING THE BEST POSSIBLE CASE

THAT HE'S HANDLED THIS WELL SO FAR.

I REALLY HOPE HE TURNS IT AROUND.

I GENUINELY, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, HOPE THAT HE CAN PULL

A RABBITT OUT OF A HAT, AND THAT RABBITT BEING COMPETENCE.

>> Stephen: YES.

BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S SAFE FOR ANY OF US TO BANK ON THAT.

>> Stephen: OR CEDE THOSE DECISIONS TO SOMEBODY ELSE RIGHT

NOW.

>> THAT'S THE THING.

YOU'VE GOT TO HOPE THAT THE PEOPLE -- THE COMPETENT PEOPLE

WHO ARE WORKING UNDERNEATH HIM, AND THAT MUST BE A VERY

DIFFICULT PLACE TO BE AS A HUMAN BEING, THAT THEY CAN TOUGH IT

OUT, FOR EVERYONE'S BENEFIT.

>> Stephen: THE CORONAVIRUS SPREAD AROUND THE WORLD, NOT

JUST THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, BUT FOR EVERYONE IN THE WORLD,

IT'S BEING COMPARED TO A WAR.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: BECAUSE IT REQUIRES COLLECTIVE ACTION,

COLLECTIVE SUFFERING.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT COMPARISON?

>> WELL, I THINK IT'S FAIR THAT THAT IS WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE.

I THINK THE PROBLEM, THE VULNERABILITY THAT WE HAVE IN

AMERICA RIGHT NOW IS THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY HOW AMERICA HAS

FOUGHT WARS FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS.

SO AMERICA HAS FOUGHT WARS BY HAVING A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE,

THAT A LARGE PERSONALLY OF THE POPULATION ARE DISLOCATED FROM,

GOING TO FIGHT ON THEIR BEHALF AND NOT BEING PARTICULARLY WELL

EQUIPPED OR NOT IDEALLY EQUIPPED TO MAKE THAT FIGHT.

SO THIS IS, SADLY, STRATEGICALLY, CONSISTENT.

I THINK FROM THE ARMED FORCES, IT'S MOVED TO THE FRONT LINE OF

MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, WHO ARE ILL EQUIPPED, ILL APPRECIATED,

ILL COMPENSATED.

SO IT IS HEARTBREAKINGLY SIMILAR, I THINK, TO HOW WE

FOUGHT WARS IN AMERICA FOR THE LAST NUMBER OF DECADES.

AND THE PROBLEM IS THAT THIS SENSE OF COLLECTIVE SACRIFICE IS

NOT SOMETHING THAT CHIMES WITH AMERICA'S GREAT STRENGTH, WHICH,

IN THE PAST, HAS BEEN EVEN WITH THE FIRST IRAQ WAR SAYING, IF

YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING, AMERICA, IF YOU DON'T WANT THE

ENEMY TO WIN, FUEL INJECT THE ECONOMY, SO GO OUT AND BUY A

SECOND FRIDGE, AND YOU CAN SENSE AMERICA GOING, THAT WE CAN DO,

YES, ABSOLUTELY.

THIS IS GOING TO TAKE MORE THAN THAT.

THIS TAKES ACTUAL SACRIFICE TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS POSSIBLE,

YOU HAVE TO BRING IN THE BOUNDARIES OF YOUR OWN LIFE, AND

I KNOW THAT IS NOT A THING ANYONE WANTS TO HEAR, BUT FOR

THE SAKE OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, WE HAVE TO TRY

AND DO IT ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT IS COMFORTABLE.

>> Stephen: AND I THINK BEYOND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, I THINK IT'S

OPTIMISTIC TO SAY THAT THE REST OF US WON'T SACRIFICE BECAUSE,

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS -- YOU MAY NOT DIE, BUT YOU MIGHT KNOW

SOMEONE WHO DOES.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO BE SO PERVASIVE

EVENTUALLY, UNLIKE THE SHARED SACRIFICES OF THE WARS THE

UNITED STATES HAS FOUGHT IN THE LAST 50 YEARS, EVERYONE WILL BE

AFFECTED BY IT IN SOME WAY AND ALL WE CAN DO IS TAKE CARE OF

EACH OTHER WHEN IT HAPPENS.

>> EVEN A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL KNOWS WE ARE IN ( BLEEP ).

WE SHOULD HAVE DONE A LOT MORE IN PREPARATION AND WE SHOULD NOW

LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED TO HELP THEM NOW BECAUSE THIS IS UTTERLY

RIDICULOUS THE CONDITIONS THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO WORK

FROM.

>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE FROM OUR WONDERFUL SPONSORS.

WHO KNOWS WHO IT IS TONIGHT'S.

>> THERE WILL BE SOME ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTE MONSTERS IN THERE, WE

KNOW THAT.

BUT SPECIFICALLY WE DON'T KNOW WHICH ONES.

>> Stephen: EXACTLY.

WELL, JOHN, THANKS AGAIN FOR BEING HERE.

WE HAVE TO TAKE ANOTHER COMMERCIAL BREAK.

OR WE'RE BACK.

I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE.

>> I THINK WE'RE COMING BACK.