We are witnessing comedic genius in the form of Sacha Baron Cohen.

For nearly two decades, he has created various characters and crafted them so seamlessly that many times, he has duped unsuspecting people, from the average American to top politicians, into showing their true colors. The way he blends comedy with real social and political commentary creates a product that walks the fine line between offensive and pure genius.

I think, most often, it falls on the genius side. His most recent endeavor, “Who is America,” might be his most hilarious and one of his most impressive. It has faced criticism from some, specifically those who were “tricked” into saying and doing things on camera that make them look both foolish and absolutely clueless.

No one likes to be tricked, or to be made to look like a fool. Politicians, specifically, are often rather particular about whom they talk to and what they say ​— perhaps because politicians are some of the easiest targets to have their words and actions twisted.

In “Who is America,” Baron Cohen transforms himself into various characters and earns the trust of both politicians and average Americans from both sides of the political spectrum. The result is that we see the true nature of some of the craziest, nonsensical, and clueless people and politicians that America has to offer.

Baron Cohen takes a very satirical approach to comedy, often making a mockery of both the topics he is tackling and the people with whom he discusses them. It’s quite hard to watch the show without wondering how these people sat across from the ridiculous characters that he plays, completely oblivious to the fact that he is mocking or toying with them. He masterfully sets up the conversation so that they say massively regrettable things, which seems like something that a good politician should be trained to spot and avoid.

One of the most confusing and interesting aspects of the show is that the politicians whom Baron Cohen talks to are so oblivious to the fact that they are sitting across from a character, not a real person. Some of Baron Cohen’s disguises look pretty outlandish. If you’ve paid attention to pop culture in the last two decades, you would probably be able to realize that you’re sitting across from Baron Cohen, or at least that you might be being set up or tricked by someone.

Many of the things that Baron Cohen says to them are so clearly idiotic that it becomes frightening when they begin to sympathize and agree. In the first episode, Baron Cohen very briefly pitches a proposal to a number of high-profile state politicians, which involves letting children of kindergarten age and younger use guns. With little to no factual information or background information, he gets a number of them to endorse the idea on camera.

This left me laughing out of pure shock at how easily he was able to persuade them to endorse something so stupid. It was one of many moments during the show where I had to press pause just to take it all in.

These are the people that are making our laws, the ones with the most powerful voices on what does and doesn’t go on in our country, and most importantly, those who can do the most harm if they aren’t careful.

Nearly every interview in the show is bizarre, largely due to Baron Cohen’s ability to effortlessly maintain his composure and stay in character no matter how ridiculous the interaction becomes. Some may just see him as a troll, but when you look deeper at the work that he does, you realize that he is both a world-class comedian and an impressive actor.

Through comedy, Cohen brings serious items to light and forces people to expose their worst qualities.