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Digital World

Flula Borg: 100 days of Trump feels like 10,000 days

Bettina Baumann ss
April 28, 2017

Largely unheard-of in his native Germany, YouTube superstar Flula Borg is used to routinely joking with celebrities like Michael Phelps, Anna Kendrick and Will Ferrell. But what does he have to say about Trump?

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Flula Borg Youtuber
Image: picture alliance/dpa

He may come across as typically German, but YouTube star Flula Borg has managed to build somewhat of a cult following in the USA. With his thick accent and frank demeanor, Flula has interviewed scores of celebrities, always aiming for maximum entertainment value - whether he makes up songs on the spot with superstars or translates German expressions, like his signature "top monkey cool" ("oberaffengeil").

Flula Borg deutscher YouTuber
Flula has gained a cult following in the US with his European perspective and sometimes inappropriate sense of humorImage: Roby Jeffers

Flula Borg has nearly 800,000 followers on his YouTube channel and is hitting the 100,000 mark on Twitter. Since 2011, he has been living in California, producing YouTube videos and even forging a career in movies with his appearance in "Pitch Perfect 2" and other films.

But it's not always all fun and games with the German comedian from the city of Erlangen. Flula Borg tells DW how he feels about the new US President.

Deutsche Welle: In the run-up to the US elections, you gave an interview in which you said "Oh, the elections! Thank God this nightmare will be over soon." What is your response now when you reflect about the fact that Donald Trump was indeed elected US President and has completed 100 days in office?

Flula Borg: I still most certainly feel as if I'm in some kind of terrible, deep state of sleep, and the way things look. I will only awaken in four years' time. The most disappointing aspect of all this is the fact that Trump appears to have magic powers over the space-time continuum, as these 100 days feel more like 10,000 days.

Donald Trump polarizes people's views in such a way that no one wanted to believe that he had won. But with his election win, did any of your relationships with your family and friends or with people you work with change at all?

Not really. Here in Los Angeles, which is where I live most of the time, Trump doesn't exactly reap praise. Most people feel as confused as I do. But slowly it is beginning to dawn on us that all this did actually happen.

Do you intend to voice your reactions to Trump publicly at all - for instance, by creating political videos?

German YouTube star conquers US

Yes, most certainly. I'm currently working on a special for NBC Universal/Seeso, which deals with Trump's and Scott Pruitt's strategy when it comes to the environment. We finished filming last month, and it's supposed to be aired in July. And of course I will also have to continue to make non-political videos as well. People, myself included, still need diversion.

Is there anything positive you see in the Trump administration's track record so far?

I do. My American friends tell me that Trump's presidency has shown them that you shouldn't take only the qualified candidates seriously, and that in America, logic and sensibility don't always prevail in the end. Sure, the same thing happens in other countries as well, but Trump's election really brought that message home for me. Many of my American friends have started to pay much more attention to politics now than they did before the election. I hope that by doing so, in 2020, we will all finally get to enjoy having much more pleasant dreams again.

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Interview by Bettina Baumann