“The media said what?” Copeland, a supporter of President Donald Trump, is seen telling an audience in the clip before bursting into laughter.
“The media said Joe Biden’s president!” Copeland continues, before repeatedly saying “haha” for at least 30 seconds and prompting the audience to applaud and stand up.
The clip, posted on Twitter by Right Wing Watch on Sunday night, has since racked up more than 8.7 million views.
Writer Laird Barron warned that while the fake laughter may appear “cheesy,” it was designed to elicit a reaction from viewers.
“This filtered excerpt might seem cheesy. It’s not. It’s a variation of command voice/presence techniques employed by law enforcement and the military,” Barron tweeted. “Motivational speakers use it, albeit less violently. This is professional brainwashing for your viewing pleasure. It works.”
Matthew Sheffield, a former reporter for The Hill who has also previously written for conservative media outlets, also warned about the danger of Copeland’s words.
Copeland “is a billionaire televangelist who most people haven’t heard of,” Sheffield tweeted. “His followers believe every word he says, no matter how disturbing.”
Earlier this year, Copeland made headlines after saying he healed his viewers of coronavirus through their television screens.
A video of Copeland also went viral last year after he was confronted by a reporter, who questioned him about his extravagant lifestyle.
The reporter pressed Copeland on controversial comments he had made in the past about why he needed a private jet.
He couldn’t “talk to God” while flying commercial, Copeland reportedly said. “You can’t manage that today, in this dope-filled world, get in a long tube with a bunch of demons,” he had added. “And it’s deadly.”
Copeland’s latest viral video comes days after Trump’s spiritual advisor Paula White went viral after leading a prayer service to help secure the president’s re-election.
Both Copeland and White served on the Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board during his 2016 presidential campaign.
White said in her prayer that “demonic confederacies” were attempting to steal the election from Trump.
The Associated Press and television networks declared Biden the winner of the 2020 election on Saturday, after he was projected to win more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to clinch the presidency.
Trump has yet to concede and has repeatedly falsely claimed the election was stolen from him, while vowing to take legal action to challenge the result.
