Warning: Spoilers ahead for Borat 2!
Sacha Baron Cohen pranked several notable figures in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, but his stunt aimed at U.S Vice President Mike Pence was one of the most difficult to pull off. The Amazon Prime mockumentary serves as a sequel to 2006's Borat, which introduced Baron Cohen's Kazakh journalist to the general public. 14 years after his trip to America, Borat Sagdiyev returns to the "US and A" on a special mission, but this time he's joined by his teenage daughter, Tutar (Maria Bakalova). Together, they go on a journey that turns into a heartfelt message about acceptance. Along the way, however, Baron Cohen and Bakalova fool a ton of people during their various hijinks.
Following his return from his first trip to America, Borat was imprisoned for humiliating the nation of Kazakhstan. To make amends, Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev forces Borat to go on a special mission to deliver President Donald Trump a special gift in the form of Johnny the Monkey. When that's deemed impossible, Borat sets his sights on VP Mike Pence. Unfortunately, Tutar eats the monkey during her journey to America in the hopes of joining her father. Borat then decides to gift Tutar as a bride to Pence after giving her a makeover.
While preparing Tutar for her new life as Pence's gift, Borat learns that the VP is giving a speech nearby. The event turns out to be the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Seeing as the crowded event requires extensive security, Borat is tasked with sneaking in without drawing suspicion. First, he enters the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center dressed in a Klu Klux Klan robe, claiming to be Stephen Miller. Borat then darts into a nearby bathroom before putting on a bodysuit and mask to disguise himself as Donald Trump. Baron Cohen, who was pretending to be Borat dressed as Trump, barges in the auditorium in the middle of Pence's speech with Tutar hung over his shoulder. The figure is quickly escorted out of the convention center by the Secret Service and internal security officers resulting in Borat's next attempt of gifting Tutar to Rudy Guiliani. The stunt is memorable, but it actually lasted a lot longer than what the movie suggests according to Baron Cohen's interview with The New York Times.
Baron Cohen Spent A Lot Of Time At CPAC To Pull His Prank On Pence
2020's CPAC event was held in National Harbor, Maryland on February 27. While the coronavirus pandemic was a talking point, protocols and restrictions had yet to be widely used to protect the general public. Therefore, the event featured a high attendance, making Baron Cohen's stunt even more complicated. While the sequel suggested that Borat changed into the Trump disguise in the convention center's bathroom, Baron Cohen was already wearing the suit and mask under the KKK robe. The actor stated that he spent five hours in a makeup chair for the required prosthetics the morning of Pence's speech. He then hid in the bathroom stall for another five hours until it was time for Borat's big interruption.
The purpose of Baron Cohen's multiple disguises was meant to not only hide Borat's presence but also his own since it would have raised red flags. While CPAC attendees caught video of Baron Cohen being escorted out of the area, nobody figured out his identity. Since the actor and the film crew was able to pull off the stunt, the development of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm remained a secret until the sequel was officially announced mere weeks before its release.