John Oliver Asks: Is Trump’s Mexican Wall Feasible?

John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, hit a nerve in late February with his broadside on Donald Trump.

As was reported by Inquisitr, Oliver attacked Trump in the most effective way: with humor.

Oliver’s 21-minute monologue went viral.

This weekend, Oliver was at it again–this time taking on Trump’s goal of building a large wall at the U.S.-Mexico border (warning: vulgar language).

Oliver’s segment began with video clips of Trump declaring that desire before large audiences.

“I Will Build A Wall”

Oliver then pondered how much it might cost, then aired a clip of Trump addressing that.

“Let’s say the wall costs $4 billion. You know, they say it costs $10 billion. That means $4 billion, if you know what you’re doing.”

Oliver replied that this is “an insane magic trick” to build it at 40 percent of the cost.

But since then, Oliver noted, Trump’s estimate of the cost has grown by 300 percent.

Assuming that the wall is just 35 feet high (as John Oliver showed, this was Trump’s lowest estimate), the total cost would be at least $16 billion in parts and labor. But including the transportation of materials, the costs exceed $25 billion.

“So it’s a big, dumb thing that only gets more expensive over time. It’s like getting a pet walrus. You may think it’s a stupid idea now, but wait till you see what a bucket of sea cucumbers costs!”

“Mexico Is Going To Pay!”

Oliver then aired clips of Trump’s oft-repeated claim that “Mexico will pay for the wall,” including one where he declared, “And they’ll be happy about it!”

But Oliver revealed a statement from the Mexican government that they will “under no circumstances” pay for it.

When Trump was confronted with this, he responded (as Oliver quipped, “with characteristic diplomacy,”), “The wall just got 10 feet taller. Believe me.”

Oliver mocked Trump’s stubbornness.

“Things don’t get bigger just because you’re angry. If that were true, Alec Baldwin would be 100 feet tall by now.”

John Oliver shows why Donald Trump's wall couldn't possibly work https://t.co/SJPQyl0B6g pic.twitter.com/wTQiNenQJ4

— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) March 21, 2016

Further Complications

Oliver then told how in 2006, President George Bush signed into law a bill that mandated building a wall along the border.

But Oliver noted that the bulk of land on the Texas side of the border is privately owned, which led to the federal government invoking eminent domain.

Oliver then told of how the then-Homeland Security Secretary signed a document that gave his department the authority to build the wall while waiving 36 laws, including the Endangered Species Act.

Many Come Here Legally

John Oliver further pointed out that, according to Pew Research Center, a significant portion of immigrants are legal.

“Nearly half of all unauthorized migrants now living in the United States entered the country legally through a port of entry such as an airport or a border crossing point…”

To which Oliver said, “A wall can’t stop that.”

Oliver then showed how Mexicans have already devised methods to get around a wall, including tunnels.

Driven By Fear

John Oliver tears down Donald Trump's wall plan https://t.co/iq6jMnPON0 pic.twitter.com/6AzPVNRrAl

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) March 21, 2016

Oliver stated why the proposed wall is so popular among some: Trump appeals to fears that such immigrants are “murderers and rapists.”

But Oliver cited statistics that “immigrants are less, not more, crime-prone than their native-born counterparts.”

Oliver concluded that the total cost of the wall would be over $25 billion, or about $77 per U.S. citizen. To demonstrate the absurdity of building a large wall, he proposed an alternative: have the U.S. government purchase a $75 waffle iron for every American citizen.

“I know what you’re thinking, ‘John, this is a stupid idea.’ But is it really? Yes, it is. But is it significantly stupider than Donald Trump’s wall? Because this waffle iron plan will cost less, it will do nearly as much to keep out immigrants and drugs, it won’t harm our relationship with our third largest trading partner, if it is racist, it’s only toward Belgians, and unlike Donald Trump’s wall, this makes [expletive deleted] waffles!”

As with John Oliver’s previous monologue on Trump, this one is also expected to go viral.

[Photo by Wilfredo Lee/AP Images]