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| The comedian going viral for lip-syncing Trump: 'People really hate him' | The comedian going viral for lip-syncing Trump: 'People really hate him' |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Sarah Cooper has carved out a niche space on TikTok, merging comedy and politics by voicing over Trump’s comments | Sarah Cooper has carved out a niche space on TikTok, merging comedy and politics by voicing over Trump’s comments |
| Sarah Cooper never expected to become internet famous during a pandemic, but now she is a viral TikTok celebrity who makes people laugh without saying anything. How? She lets Trump say it all for her: Cooper lip-syncs Trump’s worst comments from press conferences. | Sarah Cooper never expected to become internet famous during a pandemic, but now she is a viral TikTok celebrity who makes people laugh without saying anything. How? She lets Trump say it all for her: Cooper lip-syncs Trump’s worst comments from press conferences. |
| Her recent clips include her dubbing Elon Musk explaining without embarrassment the decision to name his child X Æ A-12, but her first viral moment came following that press conference, when Trump suggested Americans ingest disinfectant to cure the coronavirus. | Her recent clips include her dubbing Elon Musk explaining without embarrassment the decision to name his child X Æ A-12, but her first viral moment came following that press conference, when Trump suggested Americans ingest disinfectant to cure the coronavirus. |
| As soon as she heard it, she knew it was comedy gold. “The thing of trying to put light into your body and inject[ing] household cleaner into your veins – it was so visual to me, and I thought, ‘I have to make this’,” she tells me. | As soon as she heard it, she knew it was comedy gold. “The thing of trying to put light into your body and inject[ing] household cleaner into your veins – it was so visual to me, and I thought, ‘I have to make this’,” she tells me. |
| Within hours of the press conference Cooper had uploaded the TikTok video, simply captioned “How to medical” and watched as millions of laughs and likes came rolling in. | Within hours of the press conference Cooper had uploaded the TikTok video, simply captioned “How to medical” and watched as millions of laughs and likes came rolling in. |
| Cooper is a comedian and author who describes herself as “not the normal demographic for TikTok, which is full of 11-year-olds – many of whom are sad that I am on it.” Still, she has carved out a niche space on the platform, merging comedy and politics, and as someone who voices over Trump’s silliest comments, she finds herself spoilt for choice at the moment. | Cooper is a comedian and author who describes herself as “not the normal demographic for TikTok, which is full of 11-year-olds – many of whom are sad that I am on it.” Still, she has carved out a niche space on the platform, merging comedy and politics, and as someone who voices over Trump’s silliest comments, she finds herself spoilt for choice at the moment. |
| “It is interesting because as a writer you want to heighten how ridiculous things are. But everything he says is already so ridiculous that it is hard to heighten it,” she says. | “It is interesting because as a writer you want to heighten how ridiculous things are. But everything he says is already so ridiculous that it is hard to heighten it,” she says. |
| She has had many “you couldn’t write this stuff” moments – in fact, she says some of Trump’s comments are so unbelievable that trying to mock him would be worse than using a direct quote. “I saw people saying they shared [my videos] with Trump supporters and for once there is nothing they can say. The clip is literally, completely unedited – I haven’t edited [the audio] at all – so what can they say to argue with it?” she says. | She has had many “you couldn’t write this stuff” moments – in fact, she says some of Trump’s comments are so unbelievable that trying to mock him would be worse than using a direct quote. “I saw people saying they shared [my videos] with Trump supporters and for once there is nothing they can say. The clip is literally, completely unedited – I haven’t edited [the audio] at all – so what can they say to argue with it?” she says. |
| Still, Cooper says a lot without words. Much of the comedy in her videos lies in the way she punctuates Trump’s remarks – a subtle facial expression that gives away just how clueless he is, or a gesture that reminds you of the broader context around what he is saying. | Still, Cooper says a lot without words. Much of the comedy in her videos lies in the way she punctuates Trump’s remarks – a subtle facial expression that gives away just how clueless he is, or a gesture that reminds you of the broader context around what he is saying. |
| A recent video mocks Trump’s statement about White House staffer Katie Miller being diagnosed with Covid-19. It shows her impersonating Trump as he takes a positive swab out of Miller’s mouth, absentmindedly puts it into his own and hands it back to Miller – all while asking how Miller got sick in the first place and pondering aloud whether testing is all that good, anyways. After weeks of Trump marauding around mask-making factories without a mask on; and even refusing to wear one amid a White House Covid-19 breakout, the metaphor feels apt. | A recent video mocks Trump’s statement about White House staffer Katie Miller being diagnosed with Covid-19. It shows her impersonating Trump as he takes a positive swab out of Miller’s mouth, absentmindedly puts it into his own and hands it back to Miller – all while asking how Miller got sick in the first place and pondering aloud whether testing is all that good, anyways. After weeks of Trump marauding around mask-making factories without a mask on; and even refusing to wear one amid a White House Covid-19 breakout, the metaphor feels apt. |
| Why do the videos resonate so much? “Coming out of my mouth, you realize how much more stupid it is – I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing!” she says. But Cooper thinks there is something else going on here: her videos reassure people that what comes out of the president’s mouth really is as crazy as it sounds. | Why do the videos resonate so much? “Coming out of my mouth, you realize how much more stupid it is – I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing!” she says. But Cooper thinks there is something else going on here: her videos reassure people that what comes out of the president’s mouth really is as crazy as it sounds. |
| “I feel like we’ve been gaslighted for years, being told it is totally normal for a president to say things like this. It is a very validating thing to see something remind you that, no, this is actually ridiculous and we can all agree on that,” she says. | “I feel like we’ve been gaslighted for years, being told it is totally normal for a president to say things like this. It is a very validating thing to see something remind you that, no, this is actually ridiculous and we can all agree on that,” she says. |
| Plus, it helps to hear the message without having to hear it from the man himself: “People really hate Trump – a lot. They hate his voice. They hate looking at him. They hate everything about him,” says Cooper. In Cooper’s view, people are watching her videos and collectively commiserating, while also having a laugh at the president’s expense. Can she see an alternative universe in which people might prefer to follow her TikToks, instead of hearing from the president directly? | |
| “That’s a lot of pressure!” she says, adding: “I had Lawrence O’Donnell from MSNBC saying that he couldn’t get the news without seeing my take on it first. I feel like – what kind of monster have I created?” she says. Certainly, considering the goldmine she has discovered, she might just struggle to keep up. | “That’s a lot of pressure!” she says, adding: “I had Lawrence O’Donnell from MSNBC saying that he couldn’t get the news without seeing my take on it first. I feel like – what kind of monster have I created?” she says. Certainly, considering the goldmine she has discovered, she might just struggle to keep up. |
| “He writes material faster than I could ever perform it!” she laughs. | “He writes material faster than I could ever perform it!” she laughs. |
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