Sacha Baron Cohen and President Donald Trump engaged in a war of words during the opening weekend of the comedian’s politically-charged new comedy ‘Borat 2’. The film went viral ahead of its October 23 release due to a controversial scene featuring Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, which prompted Trump over the weekend to slam Cohen as “a creep” and “a phony.”
“Years ago, you know, he tried to scam me,” Trump told reporters, noting how Cohen once disguised himself as a BBC news anchor in an attempt to prank him. “That’s a phony guy. And I don’t find him funny… To me he was a creep.”
Baron Cohen responded to Trump on social media, hitting back with the following post: “Donald — I appreciate the free publicity for ‘Borat!’ I admit, I don’t find you funny either. But yet the whole world laughs at you. I’m always looking for people to play racist buffoons, and you’ll need a job after Jan. 20. Let’s talk!”
Trump has avoided discussing “Borat 2” otherwise, despite one scene in the film in which Baron Cohen wears a fat suit modeled after Trump in order to sneak into a convention where Mike Pence is giving a speech. Cohen told The New York Times prior to the “Borat 2” release that his Trump transformation required a 56-inch fat suit and five hours of makeup and prosthetic application.
Baron Cohen has earned strong reviews for his return as “Borat” in the sequel, officially titled “Borat Subsequent Film.” IndieWire’s chief critic Eric Kohn awarded “Borat 2” an A- review, calling it a “brilliant, vulgar plea for a better world.” The film is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
