John Oliver on New College’s Maga takeover: ‘More about political posturing than students’ lives’

The late-night host detailed how the Florida liberal arts college became a testing ground for a rightwing agenda John Oliver dedicated Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight to examining how Florida’s New College has been taken over by the conservative state governor, Ron DeSantis, and his allies. New College used to promote itself with videos that emphasized its inclusive community and unique academic program – a rarity for a US state college. “Back when Ron DeSantis thought he still had a shot at being president, he made a lot of noise about how he was going to ‘de-wokeify’ New College, despite admitting he didn’t know much about it” said Oliver. DeSantis said: “If you want to spend your time on some Marxist commune, if that’s what you want to do with your life, who am I to say? But I don’t want the taxpayers of Florida funding that.” In 2023, the small liberal arts college became national news when DeSantis appointed six of his allies to the board of trustees, including “conservative activist” Christopher Rufo. “I’d call it a hostile takeover of a college known for its ultra-progressive policies,” said one Fox News commentator. For Rufo it was a