UPDATE 10/25/20: Sacha Baron Cohen has responded to criticism from President Donald Trump amid the release of his highly anticipated sequel to Borat. After the POTUS called Sacha a “phony guy” and “a creep”, the British comedian took to Twitter and insinuated Trump would lose the upcoming Presidential election.
“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,” he wrote in the Tweet below. “I’m always looking for people to play racist buffoons, and you’ll need a job after Jan. 20. Let’s talk!”
ORIGINAL STORY: It seems Donald Trump won’t be lining up to see Sacha Baron Cohen‘s long awaited sequel to the 2006 mockumentary Borat. The POTUS was asked about the now-viral clip, which shows former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, 76, seemingly in a compromising position. Reporter Steve Herman, who was on Air Force One, said Trump claimed he had no idea what happened. “To me, he’s a creep,” he said of Sacha, adding, “I don’t know what happened. But years ago, you know, he [Sacha] tried to scam me and I was the only one who said no way. That’s a phony guy and I don’t find him funny.”
Earlier in the week, footage emerged of Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani interacting with Borat’s teenage daughter, played by 24-year-old actress Maria Bakalova. Rudy follows Maria, who is under the guise of Borat’s daughter named Tutar Sagdiyev, into a hotel room for a “drink,” per The Hollywood Reporter. The politician then asked her for her phone number, as he lied down on the bed and puts his hand down his pants.
He reportedly called the police after the interaction, realizing he’d been pranked. “The Borat video is a complete fabrication. I was tucking in my shirt after taking off the recording equipment,” Rudy tweeted. “At no time before, during, or after the interview was I ever inappropriate. If Sacha Baron Cohen implies otherwise, he is a stone-cold liar. … As soon as I realized it was a set up, I called the police, which has been noted in [The Hollywood Reporter] article on July 8th.”
The film also features footage of Maria appearing to gain access to The White House, raising questions about the level of Trump’s security. She was just steps away from the Oval Office when she somehow gained entry to the north grounds of the property, under the guise of being a member of the press. Sacha tweeted out footage of OAN correspondent Chanel Rion interviewing Maria, while being trailed back and forth by a camera and sound crew during their September 16 visit to The White House.