Sacha Baron Cohen made his name on Da Ali G Show, an oft-brilliant satire that found him bringing out the worst and most awkward impulses of his real-life interview subjects, which encompassed everyone from one-time EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman to cultural commenter Andy Rooney to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Once upon a time, he also spoke to our current president, Donald Trump, who, in the guise of his Ali G character, tried to sell him on the idea of an “ice cream glove” (a glove you wear to avoid getting melted ice cream on your hands).
Trump has attacked Cohen in subsequent tweets and interviews, saying he saw through the “scam” and “immediately walked out” of the interview; not only is that not true on tape, but Cohen told James Corden last year that Trump was there “for about seven minutes.” Now, with Trump as his target, Cohen seems to be returning to the guerilla satire that made features like Borat and Bruno so fun. On the fourth of July, Cohen posted a teaser video to Twitter that includes clips of Trump’s anti-Cohen interview, during which he tells “this third rate character” to “go to school” and “learn about being funny.”
Well, it appears Cohen did just that. The video closes out with the text “Sacha graduates” and a logo for the now-defunct Trump University. Trump University, if you’ll recall, faced several lawsuits, one of which was filed by the State of New York alleging illegal business practices and false claims made by the company. There was also multiple class action lawsuits; Trump claimed he wouldn’t settle them, but of course he did, paying out $25 million in the months after he was elected president.
The nature of Cohen’s project remains up in the air, but one thing’s for certain: Trump, who hates being reminded of past failures and humiliations, will not like it.
See Cohen’s tweet below.
