John Oliver used the return of "Last Week Tonight" from its summer break to scrutinise the Trump family's expanding cryptocurrency ventures, arguing that the president has personally profited enormously from an industry he once dismissed as fake. The segment carries added weight given Oliver's own position: his contract runs out at the end of 2026, and HBO's parent company faces a likely takeover by Paramount Skydance, whose ownership has already made Trump-friendly changes at CBS News, raising questions about how much longer such critical coverage will continue.

Oliver cited Trump's financial filings showing his personal income surged past $2.2 billion in his first year back in office, with around $1.4 billion coming from family crypto ventures, now reportedly overtaking real estate as the family's main business. He highlighted the Trump and Melania meme coins, which soared after launch before collapsing — down 92% and 99% respectively by the following December — while Trump personally pocketed $636 million; nearly a million buyers lost a combined $3.8 billion. Oliver also pointed to a private dinner Trump hosted for the coin's 220 biggest holders, described by the New York Times as offering White House access in exchange for investment, before turning to the family's larger World Liberty Financial venture and its $WLFI governance token, which funnels 75% of purchases to the company as fees.