Unpopular Opinion: George "Who The Hell Is James Baldwin" Santos Is Not A Gen Z Hero

George Santos Ziwe Interview

“What could we do to get you to go away,” asks the impeccably dressed comedian Ziwe to expelled former Congressman George Santos.

“Stop inviting me to your gigs,” he replied, adding, “but you can’t because people want the content.”

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But rather than focus exclusively on the alleged crimes people might be able to forgive, ridiculous financial crimes, Ziwe spent a lot of time harking on the things progressive Gen Z can’t abide.

In a particularly poignant moment, Ziwe asks Santos about a ceasefire in Palestine and how he would bring peace to the Middle East. For context, just moments earlier, Santos had said he hated war and, consequently, former President George W. Bush for his “warmongering.”

“How would you bring peace to the Middle East,” asks Ziwe.

“Very simple,” Santos replied, “eradicating terror cells like Hamas, ISIS, Al Qaeda.”

“Via war,” Ziwe questioned.

“Sure ... It’s a good cause,” said Santos.

It’s an absurd moment that highlights how Santos, who claimed that he’s adored by progressive Gen Zers, likes to adopt their language while pushing policies that are completely contrary to his espoused ideology.

In another similar moment, Ziwe asked him about his disparaging comments on drag queens despite being an openly gay man and having once worn drag.

“Are you alt-right for clout, or do you truly believe drag queens are a greater threat to children than guns,” asked Ziwe. “I love drag queens. Let’s set the record straight. I don’t like drag queens for kids,” he replies.

It’s a dodge for sure, but it highlights that Ziwe isn’t unaware of the man she’s in the room with. He can say he loves drag queens, but he’s fundamentally an alt-right culture warrior who is happy to push rhetoric that endangers that community.

That same brilliance is on display when she asks him to respond to a list of queer, predominantly Black civil rights icons. Upon seeing James Baldwin, Santos responds: “Who the hell is James Baldwin.” It paired nicely with a separate segment, where Santos proudly said he “didn’t see color” when asked about his Black friends.

George “Who the hell is James Baldwin” Santos isn’t a Gen Z hero—or at least he shouldn’t be, and Ziwe clearly gets that.

While there are certainly plenty of zany moments where the two joke about Birkin bags and Botox, you don’t walk away from this interview liking Santos. He’s a financial scammer (which on some level our culture loves), but he’s also a guy who pushes awful right-wing rhetoric and whose campaign once seemed to share a photo of the Obamas as apes. She didn’t get into all of his many transgressions, but we certainly got a sense of the man behind the ridiculous quotes and expensive beauty treatments. And it wasn’t positive.

The question is whether, as Santos said himself, this just adds to his popularity. Certainly, some people will watch the entire interview decidedly in disgust. Others will see a few hilarious clips online and go straight to his Cameo for more.

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