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Mass. native mocks Donald Trump at rally

Zach Etkind held a sign at a Donald Trump event in South Carolina on Wednesday. Etkind’s message said “Trump Likes His Steak Well Done.”

People from New England seem to have a penchant for stealing the spotlight from the presidential candidates on the campaign trail.

On Wednesday, Cohasset native Zach Etkind became the latest example when he secured a seat directly behind Republican frontrunner Donald Trump during an event in South Carolina, and pulled some impromptu foolery as the cameras rolled for a national audience.

In a video of the Trump event, Etkind can be seen wearing sunglasses, a “Make America Great Again” hat, and a custom-made New England Patriots blazer with Tom Brady’s name stitched on the back.

At times, the 28-year-old mimicked Trump’s gestures, wagged his finger in a very Trump-ian fashion, and held up a sign that read, “Trump Likes His Steak Well Done,” a reference to the presidential hopeful’s order at a restaurant while stumping in New Hampshire for the primaries.

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“That’s not how you order a steak,” said Etkind of his inspiration for the slogan.

He also pretended to be sleeping as Trump rattled off his campaign promises.

Etkind recently moved back to the United States after living in China for nearly five years, where he taught English and later worked for a video production and events firm. He said he’s not a Trump supporter, and ended up attending the rally at Clemson University, in Pendleton, S.C., after he was invited by a friend.

He said that he hadn’t expected to be in the direct shot of the camera, but was able to grab a seat there since they were some of the first to arrive.

Before Trump took the stage, Etkind, a Tufts University graduate, said he received text messages from friends who were watching television, saying they could see him behind the main stage.

It was then that Etkind decided to let the games begin.

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“I had made the sign prior, so I thought I could get that on TV, but I had no idea I would be able to sit behind him. Everything else was just spur of the moment,” he said in a telephone interview. “I wasn’t sure what I should do, but I knew I wanted to cause some sort of stir.”

A stir it was.

Etkind’s actions landed him on social media — he’s no stranger to a comedy routine. While living in China, he had a YouTube series called “Donnie Does,” where his character Donnie would try different things in the foreign country.

The jokes got picked up by several media outlets.

He said he doesn’t feel bad about “trolling” Trump’s event because “Trump is kind of trolling himself.”

“I don’t really feel bad for the candidates if you have some trolls who are trolling the troll. I think it’s pretty funny — and pretty harmless too,” he said.

Etkind’s escapades weren’t the first. Earlier this month, two Emerson College students faked an engagement in front of Ted Cruz.

Last week, in New Hampshire, the guerilla comedy duo “The Good Liars” showed up at several campaign events, including a rally for Hillary Clinton, where they wore “Settle for Hillary” T-shirts.

“These candidates provide a lot of material,” Etkind said of the trend.

The full video of the speech, and reactions on Twitter to Etkind’s sign, can be seen below:

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Steve Annear can be reached at steve.annear@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @steveannear.