--- title: John Oliver: Trump Has No Way Drained the Swamp description: “If you’re holding out for Trump to drain the swamp, you can officially kissy face that idea goodbye,” says John Oliver canonical: https://time.com/5451751/john-oliver-trump-drain-the-swamp/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-12T09:48:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:44:50.047Z og:title: John Oliver Says Trump Has No Way Drained the Swamp og:description: “The EPA may as well be run by a sentient piece of coal.” og:url: https://time.com/5451751/john-oliver-trump-drain-the-swamp/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c594b8cd861096f/6989379ebc6cfc06873e6ae1/gettyimages-4834445162.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5184 og:image:height: 2916 og:image:alt: 2015 Summer TCA Tour - 31st Annual Television Critics Association Awards og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: John Oliver Says Trump Has No Way Drained the Swamp twitter:description: “The EPA may as well be run by a sentient piece of coal.” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c594b8cd861096f/6989379ebc6cfc06873e6ae1/gettyimages-4834445162.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # John Oliver Says Trump’s E.P.A. 'May as Well Be Run by a Sentient Piece of Coal' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: The Trump Administration Is Moving to Weaken EPA Radiation Regulations: Experts [Watch (HLS stream): The Trump Administration Is Moving to Weaken EPA Radiation Regulations: Experts](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/g2M0XZIS.m3u8) (1:31)  _Published 2018-10-03. The EPA is pursuing rule changes that experts say would weaken the way radiation exposure is regulated, turning to scientific outliers who argue that a bit of radiation damage is actually good for you — like a little bit of sunlight._ by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Nov 12, 2018 9:48 AM UTC  John Oliver accepts the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information for 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; via video at the 31st annual Television Critics Association Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 8, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. John Oliver accepts the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information for 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; via video at the 31st annual Television Critics Association Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Aug. 8, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. Frederick M. Brown—Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Nov 12, 2018 9:48 AM UTC For the penultimate episode of this [_Last Week Tonight_](http://time.com/5365190/john-oliver-astroturfing-last-week-tonight/) season, John Oliver returned to a favorite topic: [Donald Trump](http://time.com/5371469/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-trade/), “a man whose presidential library could conceivably exhibit a Razzie Award” thanks to his appearance in the film _Ghosts Can’t Do It_. In the film, Trump plays a businessman who made a “kissy face” at Bo Derek that Oliver insists is the “single most disgusting thing that has ever been in a movie and \[he is\] very much including the _Human Centipede.”_ Oliver wasn’t focusing on Trump’s [IMDB entries](http://time.com/4268109/donald-trump-reality-television-apprentice-dancing-stars/), though. Rather, he honed in on the two-year anniversary of Trump’s campaign promise to crack down on Washington special interests, also known as his pledge to [“drain the swamp.”](http://time.com/4574516/donald-trump-ethics/) According to Oliver, as president Trump has instead done the opposite and put people in power who [actively pursue relationships](http://time.com/donald-trump-drain-swamp/) with special interest groups. For example, nearly half of the people Trump has put in the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) have strong industry ties to the groups they are supposed to be monitoring. Oliver says this is “like handling your city’s waste management program over to a seagull.” Oliver also pointed to Mick Mulvaney, the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who not only reportedly took [$60,000 from groups](https://www.npr.org/2018/01/24/579961808/under-trump-appointee-consumer-protection-agency-seen-helping-payday-lenders) in the payday lending lobby when he was in Congress, but also said on the record that he would be more willing to take a meeting with a lobbyist who gave him money. According to Oliver, while most people assume governmental officials give preferential treatment to donors, most officials keep it quiet. “It’s weird to hear it out loud,” Oliver said. “It’s like a Disney World park attendant saying, ‘Hey kids, who wants to have their photo taken with a 30-year-old theater major who couldn’t hack it in the industry and who now wears a full body mouse suit?’ There’s no new information there, but it’s still unpleasant to listen to.” Trump has “in no way drained the swamp,” according to Oliver. “He promised to clean up D.C. and instead the guy in charge of the CFPB is holding hands with loan sharks \[and\] the E.P.A. may as well be run by a sentient piece of coal.” In short, if you’re holding out for Trump to drain the swamp, “you can officially kissy face that idea goodbye.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5451751/john-oliver-trump-drain-the-swamp/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5451751/john-oliver-trump-drain-the-swamp/"},"headline":"John Oliver Says Trump’s E.P.A. 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