Armando Iannucci: Trump is a self-confident satirist and it’s better not to vote for him

The policies of US President Donald Trump make satire unnecessary. So says one of the leading British satirists Armando Janucci. In his opinion, the rise of Trump and other populist politicians goes beyond humor. “It’s better not just to joke, but to vote against these people,” Janucci said, speaking at the Cleveland Literary Festival. His words are quoted by The Times.

“Read his speeches and you will find a joke there,” Janucci says of Donald Trump. “It worries me that in order to make a joke about them, you have to put them on a par with Thatcher and Blair, I think we have already gone beyond that. We have entered a world where these people consider themselves untouchable, and the only way to hurt them is to vote no.”

The satirist called populist politicians artists. “This is how Trump sees himself, he is obsessed with numbers and ratings, noticeable popularity. And in order to maintain this popularity, he needs to do something every day, getting into the headlines, ”said Janucci.

The 54-year-old satirist noted that none of those who were attacked by his jokes were criminals. He says that people like former British Prime Ministers Clement Attlee and Tony Blair, as well as former US President Barack Obama, are people he respects.

Armando Janucci is a satirist, writer, director and radio host. He was the author of the film "The Death of Stalin", banned from showing in Russia. Janucci's next film, The Life of David Copperfield, will be released in 2019.