Bassem Youssef: Trump has unmasked American imperialism
Why the comedian thinks the world must ignore Trump
Cape Town, South Africa — What if Elon Musk is using his proximity to Donald Trump to get back at his school bullies in Pretoria?
Bassem Youssef scoffs at US President Donald Trump's threats to cut aid to South Africa, which are rooted in falsehoods about the government seizing white-owned land.
This misinformation is largely fueled by disinformation propagated by a South African-born tech mogul.
"I think Elon Musk was bullied in school, and he intends to get back at South Africa through the power of a nuclear America," Youssef tells me in an interview with The Debrief Network.
So perhaps the diplomatic spat that caused the rand to tank on Monday may just "not be about money, it's actually about getting back at his Pretoria bullies."
We both chuckle.
Youssef thinks Trump's diabolical public positions should just be ignored- even when it's as serious as his announcement of the forced resettlement of Gaza and the US takeover of the besieged Palestinian enclave.
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"The guy throws the tantrums, and he wants a reaction out of you, and I think if you don't give him that reaction, he will, he will be very upset. He lives on controversy. He lives on making you lose your mind, and everything that he says is all about pushing you to the wall to get a better deal. It's a, it's a business tactic."
Youssef is dismissive of the Trump hysteria.
"It's just like giving you the most outrageous proposals so you can lose your mind. So if you meet halfway, you will think that you won, but he got what he wanted," Youssef explains.
And so what do you do? I ask. "Ignore him," he plainly says.
And if that doesn't work? I push back. "I don't know, kill yourself," his wry humour takes charge.
Youssef landed in Johannesburg on Wednesday ahead of the South African leg of his Middle Beast tour this coming weekend and is excited for what he calls a "bucket list item".
He has no interest in seeing the Big Five on South Africa's famed safaris, he tells me, and is excited about a trip to Soweto where he hopes to engage ordinary South Africans.
Youssef, famous for being an Egyptian-born Cardiologist turned satirist, has become a global leading voice known for his quick-witted, punchy interviews on Israel's genocidal war on Gaza that have gotten millions of people in his corner.
As such, his appearances on the Piers Morgan show, which gained tens of millions of views, have since turned him into a cult-like activist figure.
When I ask him deeply philosophical questions, Youssef quickly reminds me that he is "just a comedian" and “not a political analyst”.
As a comedian, he says, he just makes fun of problems; he doesn't solve them.
"I can only make you laugh about reality, but I cannot change it."
He laughs, saying that his role is similar to passing gas when constipated.
"I can only be a cause of a minimal release of frustration, but that's the most I can do.I cannot really change reality."
"That's shitty," we both laugh.
Youssef wears a pragmatic, almost cynical realism in his view of the world.
The hysteria surrounding Trump's actions since his return to office is unsurprising to him.
"I think what Trump is doing is just basically taking off the mask of American imperialism. Youssef says Trump's actions are akin to "true imperialism", where European superpowers don’t care about sugarcoating their intention.
"I mean, I think there was like a honeymoon after the Second World War with the, you know, formation of the UN, the Declaration of the Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions like, OK, we're going to be civil now. It doesn't mean if you have weapons that you can go and screw up everybody, and I think what Trump is doing is like…..we are rich; we are powerful, and we have all of these weapons. We're gonna take whatever we want, and if you don't like it, we're just gonna do it."
For someone who is quick to remind you that he is not a political analyst, that is some astute political analysis.
Is the removal of the facade a good or bad thing? I ask him.
"I think it's a good thing. I think that the facade was just giving us some illusion that the world is a better place where it's not," he says.
So, how do we resist this?
Youssef will let you know that he is just a comedian- he has no clue.
"My job is to make fun of this, but I don't have any solutions for you."
We played a game of FIRST THOUGHT. Here is how it went:
QH: Piers Morgan
BY: Oh, Zionist mouthpiece.
QH: Arab Spring
BY: Hope that was gone
QH: Democracy
BY: Illusion
QH: Hamas
BY: Controversial
QH: South Africa
BY: Bucket list item
QH: Justice
BY: Never, never, never existed
Bassem Youssef's comedy tour is hosted by Blu Blood Africa in association with Gift of the Givers.
Tickets available at Ticketpro: https://bit.ly/4fZWfFk or your nearest SPAR Payzone kiosk.
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He says it as it is
Concise, interesting and in point!