{"id":655309,"date":"2026-10-24T01:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T01:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/655309\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T01:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T01:00:09","slug":"sacha-baron-cohen-says-donald-trump-has-elements-of-brilliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/655309\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacha Baron Cohen Says Donald Trump Has ‘Elements of Brilliance’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t20 years after retiring Ali G, Sacha Baron Cohen<\/a> has dusted off his tracksuit collection and reprised the character for \u201cAli G: Who Iz I?<\/a>,\u201d now open in theaters before coming to Amazon Prime Oct. 30. The comedian first brought Ali G to audiences at the turn of the century with \u201cDa Ali G Show,\u201d where he interviewed some of the world\u2019s most powerful figures (and, more often than not, made fools of them in the process).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAs Ali G, I had the privilege of sitting with some of the smartest and most powerful people in the world, and all of them were punctual,\u201d Baron Cohen told Josh Horowitz Wednesday night during a live taping of \u201cHappy Sad Confused\u201d at New York\u2019s 92nd Street Y. After a lengthy pause, he turned his attention to the one exception: \u201cDonald Trump<\/a> kept us waiting for about 40 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBaron Cohen recalled feeling \u201cintimidated\u201d upon entering Trump Tower with director James Bobin, where they waited in a room while Trump shouted a string of expletives \u201cnot for the likes of delicate Jewish ears\u201d at Rudy Giuliani over the phone.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLater on, I heard that he used to do that with other people,\u201d Baron Cohen said. \u201cIt really was a power move.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTrump appeared taken with Bobin, who Baron Cohen described as a \u201cvery handsome, blond, Oxford-educated\u201d Englishman. But when he realized he\u2019d be sitting down with Ali G instead, his demeanor \u201cimmediately\u201d changed.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI actually met a woman who was in the car with him after that interview, and he was apparently furious,\u201d Baron Cohen said. \u201cHe actually went out publicly a couple of times to criticize me. And in the end, we used all those clips and used them to advertise another show that I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBaron Cohen\u2019s interview with Trump aired in 2003, back when the future president was best known as a New York real estate mogul, before going on to host NBC\u2019s \u201cThe Apprentice.\u201d Looking back at their encounter, Baron Cohen said he could understand how Trump won a second term in the White House, pointing to the president\u2019s \u201celements of brilliance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI mean, how has he survived a second term? People underestimated him,\u201d Baron Cohen said. \u201cWe were too easy to dismiss him as a nincompoop. There are elements of brilliance to him, otherwise. And that explains his appeal with the fact that he\u2019s there for a second term, the fact that he\u2019s transforming this country. I won\u2019t say positively or negatively.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis was not the only time Baron Cohen reflected on Trump\u2019s one-of-a-kind characteristics on his latest press tour. He told Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway on the Pivot podcast<\/a> that the president is \u201camusing\u201d and that there\u2019s \u201ca huge amount of comedy in the way he speaks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe\u2019s intentionally being funny,\u201d Baron Cohen explained. \u201cAnd if you have a look on the far right, they use comedy and sarcasm as an engaging way to dismiss criticisms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBaron Cohen suggests that Trump\u2019s popularity, perhaps, reflects a broader theme explored through his own collection of provocative characters: \u201cIn the black and white, the world is a little bit complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n