Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz did not fall for comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s tricks on his show “Who Is America?” that premiered Sunday on Showtime.
Cohen went undercover as multiple characters to exploit Republicans and Democrats in the show’s first episode.
Pretending to be an Israeli anti-terror expert named Erran Morad, Cohen taped a meeting with Gaetz that aired during the premiere. He tried and failed to convince Gaetz to endorse a sham program called “Kinderguardians” that supported putting guns in the hands of preschoolers so they could protect themselves. (RELATED: Mike Huckabee Destroys Hillary Clinton For Hypocrisy About Russia With Fire Tweet)
“You want me to say on television that I support 3- and 4-year-olds with firearms?” Gaetz asked Cohen. “Is that what you’re asking me?”
“Yes,” Cohen replied.
“Typically, members of Congress don’t just hear a story about a program and indicate whether they support it or not,” Gaetz said.
Cohen did trick several Republican leaders into supporting “Kinderguardians” on camera. California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh and former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott were taped delivering pro-“Kinderguardians” messages.
Gaetz realized he had unknowingly met with Cohen before the show premiered. He looked forward to seeing the show, reported The Hill.
Cohen was blasted by other public figures he tricked before the show’s first episode aired. Former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin revealed she had been “duped” by the comedian Tuesday on Facebook. Marine veteran and double amputee Johnny Joey Jones was not tricked by the comedian, but he tore into Cohen for impersonating U.S. military veterans on the show while being interviewed on “Fox & Friends” Friday.
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