Recently ousted former Congressman George Santos participated in his first interview after being removed from Capitol Hill earlier this month.
The individual who conducted the interview, Ziwerekoru “Ziwe” Fumudoh, is a writer and humorist known for her satirical political commentary and discussions. Ziwe hosted her own show on Showtime for two seasons.
Santos agreed to an interview request from Ziwe via social media following his departure from Washington D.C.
During the interview, Ziwe asked Santos about his initial reasons for entering Congress and whether he plans to run for office again. Many of her questions elicited sharp responses. Some were fact-checked and shared with the audience through on-screen visuals. At times, she challenged him to support his statements, leading to retractions and an inability to name prominent activists when asked about comparing himself to Rosa Parks.
Ziwe also questioned Santos about his interest in appearing on Dancing with the Stars (“I’ll decline”) and his thoughts on comedian Bowen Yang’s portrayal of him on Saturday Night Live (“I believe he deserves an EGOT”). Other inquiries from Ziwe included identifying potential lip-sync opponents in Congress and considering an appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
She also asked Santos to close his eyes and picture someone associated with criminal behavior. He described a person wearing a blue jacket and white shirt. Subsequently, the show displayed a series of photos featuring Santos dressed in that outfit.
Before the interview was released, Santos shared his experience with the satirical interviewer.
“Clearly, she’s a humorist, isn’t she? She targeted me,” he expressed. “She delivered clever remarks and showed sharpness. However, I like to think that I held my ground. I also found it entertaining, and, well, I returned some banter. It created an intriguing, distinct environment, unlike what I’m used to with traditional political platforms such as The Washington Post and CNN, and so on.”
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