Sacha Baron Cohen tried, and failed, to convince a former presidential candidate of a conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton is secretly a man
- Howard Dean, former Vermont governor and Democratic presidential candidate, was the latest target on Sacha Baron Cohen's satirical show "Who is America?"
- Cohen, posing as a conspiracy theorist, tried to get Dean to comment on rumors that Hillary Clinton is a man, and even showed him an edited photograph that showed the outline of a penis in her trousers.
- Dean wasn't convinced and tried to offer rebuttals, but did not completely reject the suggestion, saying there were "lots of ideas floating around" about Clinton.
- "We're not going to find out, because we're not going to examine her," he said.
Sacha Baron Cohen turned his attention to liberals on the latest episode of his satirical prank show "Who is America?" as he tried to get a former Democratic presidential candidate to turn on one of the party's biggest figures: Hillary Clinton.
Baron Cohen dedicated his time with Howard Dean, former Vermont governor and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, to trying to get Dean to say that Clinton may secretly be a man.
His character, conspiracy theorist Dr. Billy Wayne Ruddick, asked Dean: "Do you believe Hilary is actually a woman?"
Dean did not reply at first, as he looked at Baron Cohen with surprise. Baron Cohen prompted him further: "Because there is..."
Dean then interrupted: "I know. There's lots of ideas floating around. And, you know, I know her."
And he does. While Dean has now retired from politics, both him and Clinton were big figures in the Democratic party and Dean acted as the head of Clinton's Super PAC Onward Together from 2017. In 2015, he wrote for The Washington Post that Clinton was the "best hope" for Americans and that she was "more than the best person for the toughest job in the world."
Baron Cohen wasn't satisfied with the answer and turned around his laptop to show an edited photo of Clinton with a bulge in her pants. "How do you explain that?" he asked.
"I explain that as maybe the trouser presser did a lousy job, who knows?" Dean responded.
But Baron Cohen pressed on: "You think the trouser press created a perfect penis?"
"Oh, who knows?" Dean said. "I can't go here… I can't do it. And we're not going to find out, because we're not going to examine her."
Baron Cohen showed a fake photo of Clinton using a men's urinal. "Governor, have you seen her lady parts?" he asked.
Dean replied: "I have not," to which Baron Cohen said: "Well, isn't that convenient."
Baron Cohen's show has become infamous for humiliating public figures as they go along with his characters' antics. The Georgia state lawmaker Jason Spencer resigned after screaming the N-word and exposing himself in a segment, and former Vice President Dick Cheney autographed a "waterboard kit" for Cohen.
But Baron Cohen has had better luck getting conservatives than liberals, who have largely avoided his traps. A notable conservative exception to this rule is Corey Lewandowski, the former manager of President Donald Trump's campaign, who largely managed to avoid implicating himself in his appearance.