When Donald Trump announced that he would be running for president, Ricky Gervaisfound it instantly amusing. I thought, This is a man who desperately wants to be famous and loved and hes willing to spend half his fortune on running for president to become even more famous,' the Englishcomic tells Rolling Stonewith a laugh. I thought hed drop out and itd be lovely, and well all be happy. Then it started getting real.
As the businessman and reality-TV star began winning caucuses and primaries and eventually became the presumptive G.O.P. nominee the comedian began wondering when the joke was going to end.
Now, because I dont live in America, Im almost torn about his presidential run because I think itd be amazing [if he won], Gervais says. Its like in Big Brother, when you want the villain to be punished but you dont want him to leave; were seeing this lovely opera. As a viewer you want the villain to stay in and I dont mean hes a villain, since there are worse than him. But its the same with Trump.
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I cant imagine him being president, so I want to see it happen, he continues. I want to say, In my lifetime, I was around when Donald Trump was President of the United States. Itd be amazing to say, I was alive when they elected Donald Trump. You cant spoof it.
The comedian, who popularized reality-TV spoofs with The Office in the early 2000s, likens elections to reality TV. Democracy has thrown this up, he says. Its not always voting for the right person; its voting for the most popular person. Recently, its like we havent got the intellectual with the pipe anymore. Weve got the guy who puts on the sharp suit and says what people want to hear. Its really odd. Charisma is quite a dangerous thing in politics.
I dont necessarily want my leader to be the most charismatic, he continues, I want him to be intelligent and fair. I dont know when that went away. I think when Obama was going to get in, people were saying, Oh, we dont want him in there. Hes an intellectual. Well, I want my president to be cleverer than me. And thats in opposition to Trump saying, I love the uneducated. Well, of course you do. Theyre going to vote you in.
The comic also speculated that even if Trump were elected, hed have to face off with Congress. Obama was blocked on everything anyway, and he was potentially a great president, he says. It all equalizes.
Gervais jokes that he doesnt know anything about politics. I doubt youve ever interviewed someone less informed about politics than me, he says with a laugh. I keep reminding myself Im an entertainer when I go off on rants.
Trump could get in and he could make the world a better place. We dont know.
With that, he shifts his perspective to take a broad look at the current election. We dont know the right and wrong decision until 50 years time, he says. Trump could get in and he could make the world a better place. We dont know. Since hes a businessman, he could be looking at World War III and say, This war is too expensive.
Theres a realm of the unknown there that might as well be science fiction, because we dont know, he continues. I would never say that he would be the worst president. But I think at the moment hed be the funniest.