Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump is proving to be as potent a political impersonation as Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin was during 2008 presidential election.
It is certainly getting noticed by Trump. After Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live last week, the Republican presidential candidate tweeted his displeasure. “Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal stinks. Media rigging election!”
He isn’t likely to feel much different this week.
On Saturday, SNL’s opening sketch once again skewered Trump, this time taking aim at his claims of a media conspiracy and a “rigged” election, often using Trump’s own words.
The skit, focused on the third and final presidential debate, featured Kate McKinnon once more as an unnaturally unflappable Hillary Clinton, and Tom Hanks as Fox News’ Chris Wallace, the moderator of the debate. Alluding to the fact that most polls have shown Clinton won the debates, McKinnon’s Clinton began by gleefully saying, “In the first debate I set the table, in the second debate I fired up the grill, and tonight, I feast.”
Just as the real third debate began with the blustering Trump speaking very calmly and quietly, Baldwin’s Trump began by speaking softly. “Chris, I'm going to start this debate in the quietest voice possible,” he said, calling himself a "sweet little baby Trump.”
But, of course, the discourse between the two quickly degenerates.
The show takes some digs at Hillary Clinton. When Hanks’ Wallace asked McKinnon’s Clinton about the WikiLeaks disclosures of her emails, the McKinnon’s Clinton goes off on a tangent. “You're never going to answer a question about your emails," Hanks’ Wallace said.
"No, but it was very cute to watch you try,” said McKinnon’s Clinton.
But while SNL gently ribbed Clinton, the skit depicted Trump as a buffoon.
The real Trump has repeatedly responded to the unearthing of infamous hot-mic comments (in which he boasted of sexually assaulting women) and allegations by several women that he’s groped them, by saying, “Nobody has more respect for women than I do.” In the SNL skit, when Baldwin’s Trump delivered the same line, the camera showed the audience, and then the entire world, howling in laughter.