‘Trump Was Born to Be a Teenage Girl’ Is the Sarah Cooper Schtick for the ‘Brat’ Election

Across astir 30 videos, TikTokker @kiera.ln has gotten tens of millions of views. They started rolling successful erstwhile she posted a clip of herself—in a silk robe, wearing sunglasses successful bed—lip-syncing Donald Trump’s almost-infamous comments astir Florida politician Ron DeSantis (whom helium calls “Ron DeSanctimonious”) needing “a property transplant.” That was successful precocious September. The latest, posted Wednesday, is simply a articulator sync of Trump connected Fox News saying helium would springiness himself “an A+.”

That astir caller video felt similar a full-circle moment. Trump’s “A+” remark came from an quality connected Fox and Friends successful effect to a question astir however helium handled the Covid-19 pandemic. The past idiosyncratic (give oregon take) to spell mega-viral for lip-syncing the erstwhile president was Sarah Cooper, whose “How to Medical” video was a send-up of Trump’s suggestions that coronavirus beryllium treated with disinfectant oregon UV light.

Released successful April of 2020, Cooper’s TikTok went viral everywhere, from YouTube to X. They had obscurity other to go. It was the tallness of the Covid-19 lockdowns and everyone was stuck inside, doomscrolling for thing to laughter at. She ended up getting an agent, a Netflix special, and a relation successful an off-Broadway play. She wrote 3 books, including a memoir she released past year. Cooper is the epitome of the viral TikTok prima who parlayed her net fame into a career.

@kiera.ln could bash the same. But her videos, astir each of which are titled “‘Trump Was Born to Be a Teenage Girl,” are articulator syncs for a wholly antithetic era. The 2024 predetermination rhythm is all astir being “brat”; Democrats are coming retired and calling Trump “weird” now. Whereas Cooper’s videos felt similar an effort to fact-check the then-president by mode of humor, @kiera.ln’s strategy of making him look similar a Mean Girl goes consecutive to his insults. Four years ago, oregon adjacent eight, Democrats—and those who enactment them connected the internet—were loath to spell that low. Calling his “nasty” comments nasty is present a predominant occurrence.

Comparing the erstwhile president to a teenage miss has a agelong history. Nylon did it successful 2016 with Trump’s tweets, highlighting the perceived pettiness oregon immaturity successful his comments. But adjacent past determination were those who pointed retired it was astir unfair to teenage girls, who, successful the opinion of 1 commenter, astatine slightest “have the accidental of increasing up and realizing conscionable however unspeakable they've been.” Trump, astatine 78 years old, doesn’t person arsenic overmuch clip near for affectional growth. Campaign emails from his statesmanlike opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, suggest he’s “old and rather weird,” presumably having already reached his last form.

Over the summer, Charli XCX, whose medium Brat launched an full craze, tweeted “kamala IS brat” soon aft Harris announced she would beryllium moving for president. It shifted the people of the predetermination and turned mudslinging slime green. In Charli’s estimation, to beryllium brat is to beryllium susceptible and messy—and admit it. Mean girls aren’t brats, but brats cognize however to beryllium honorable astir who they are. Brats volition conscionable you connected your net turf and telephone you a clown portion applying their ain lipstick. Brats spell connected the Call Her Daddy podcast and accidental galore women are “not aspiring to beryllium humble.”