Another season of ‘SNL’ brings with it a new batch of political impressions from our favorite cast members and guest stars. From Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump, to Kate McKinnon as everyone, here’s the best of the best.
Listen, if the 24-hour news cycle is destroying your sleep schedule, suppressing your spirit, and just making you a ball of anger, there’s a chance to find some peace on the weekends. On Saturday Night Live, the comedians have made an art out of producing the most skewering political commentary through their expert impressions of the biggest government figures of the era. Over the show’s 45 seasons, there have been innumerable impressions, of course. But the show has definitely ramped up its coverage since the 2016 presidential election began, and Donald Trump became president.
One of the biggest surprises Saturday Night Live has thrown at their audience is the inclusion of Alec Baldwin, beginning in 2017, as President Trump. His Trump voice impression is serviceable, but it’s the facial expressions and what he says that makes it killer. As the Trump presidency proceeds, the SNL version of the president becomes dumber than a doorknob. In a recent cold open (Alec’s Trump usually opens the show), “Trump” frantically calls all of his closest associates after finding out that he may be impeached. He goes through the usual suspects — Rudy Giuliani (Kate McKinnon), William Barr (Aidy Bryant), and Kim Jong Un (Bowen Yang). Eventually, he gets ahold of the actual Liev Schreiber, whom he thinks is his character, Ray Donovan.
Kate is a champion of political impressions. Not only does she play Giuliani, but she’s the following political figures: former Attorney General Jeff Sessions; Senator Elizabeth Warren; Education Secretary Betsy DeVos; Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Whew!
Her Warren impression is on point, and now that the Democratic senator is running for president in the 2020 election, we’re going to see a lot more of her. During a season 44 episode of SNL, “Warren” stopped by Weekend Update to dish about her competition, Beto O’Rourke and Pete Buttigieg. “Look Colin, I mean, what a frickin’ clown car I found myself in, right? I’m over here working ’round the clock to give you free college but oh lookie there! Beto O’Dork did parkour in a Starbucks! Wow!” she said. “Whoops! I just figured out universal Pre-K, but what’s that over there? Mayor Pete Butt-judge-y-Judy-jutes playing piano and speaking fluent Klingon. Look, I know as a Democrat I’m not supposed to say this but speak English! Frick!”