There seems to be a new sketch or video mocking Donald Trump and his presidential run every day, but late-night comedy shows and YouTube webseries are far from the first to mercilessly mock the business mogul.
Long before he was painted as the villain of the 2016 election by other politicians, Sesame Street was among those taking shots at the Donald. With his inconspicuous and iconic look, it’s incredibly easy to spot the many versions of Trump over the years.
On 1994’s All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!, Joe Pesci appeared as evil real-estate tycoon Ronald Grump, a real grouch of a man who tried to buy and demolish Sesame Street in order to build high-rise buildings. He’s got the tan, he’s got the hair, and he’s got the evil sneer down right. A behind-the-scenes look shows how ruthless he could be.
At the height of Trump’s Apprentice days, Trump appeared as the Grouch Donald Grump—no word on whether the two Grumps are related—who was looking for a new apprentice through a contest. He’s a bit trigger-happy on the whole firing thing, but it ends in a way the real Trump would not be happy about: Elmo getting Grump’s obnoxious-looking toupee.
With new seasons on the way, this probably isn't the last time we’ll see Sesame Street take on Trump.
H/T The Daily Beast | Screengrab via MarshalGrover/YouTube | Photo via Gage Skidmore/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0) | Remix by Jason Reed
