Michael Moore criticised after failing to identify Trump supporter sketch as satire

Skit features comedian Blaire Erskine

Michael Moore has come under criticism for failing to identify a Trump-related sketch as satire prior to sharing it on social media.

The video features comedian Blaire Erskine impersonating a Trump supporter at a recent rally in Omaha, Nebraska. During the event, many attendees were left stranded in near-freezing temperatures as they waited for buses to take them back to their parked cars miles away.

In her video, Erskine acts as though she’s one of the attendees getting interviewed for television. Her character makes statements such as: “I can’t feel my body but I don’t really need my body. This is about Trump’s body” and “I think [Trump] did this to teach us a lesson.”

Moore, apparently mistaking the comedy sketch for a real interview, shared it on Twitter and wrote: “How did Trump win? If we have to keep asking then we don’t get the commitment of his voters. Tens of millions of them will vote [Tuesday].”

Quoting Erskine’s character in the video, he added:  “They’d walk ‘750 miles’ in the freezing cold ‘just to hear him speak.’ I wouldn’t do that to hear Bernie, Biden or JC himself. THAT’s how they win.”

Moore wasn’t the only one who failed to recognise Erskine’s video as comedy. Several Twitter users reacted under the apparent impression that the clip was an actual interview.

Many responded to Moore’s tweet informing him that the clip is a parody, with some criticising the filmmaker for not checking whether that was the case prior to share it on his timeline. Moore has 6 million followers on Twitter.

“This is a comedian, so I’m not sure I’d focus on winning her vote,” historian Kevin M Kruse wrote.

Comedian Sarah Cooper, who has earned acclaim on Twitter for her lip-syncs of Trump, commented: “Wait... I know how this ends. Michael Moore shares satirical video, a Trump supporter uses that video in a commercial as a testament to Donald Trump, Donald Trump then retweets it, the NYTimes interviews Blair, who stays in character, and that's how Trump wins Michigan.”

The Independent has contacted Moore’s representatives for comment.

At least seven people were taken to hospitals after Tuesday’s rally. Omaha police told The Associated Press in a written statement that first responders dealt with 30 people for medical reasons throughout the day.

Additional reporting by AP