Season 42 of SNL is officially underway! And to kick things off, the show’s first cold open of the season focused on exactly what everyone expected: the first presidential debate. SNL fan favorite Kate McKinnon played Democratic nominee Hilary Clinton, while Alec Baldwin returned to portray Republican candidate Donald Trump. They even gave Michael Che some love, as he got to portray Lester Holt in the skit.
We already know McKinnon is perfect as Clinton every time she takes on the character, so the highlight here was Baldwin’s take on Trump. From the time he took the stage, everything about the portrayal was spot on. The team behind the scenes did a fantastic job on getting Baldwin to look just like the Republican nominee. Then when he opened his mouth, his impression was right on the mark. If people closed their eyes, they could have easily been fooled into thinking it was Trump talking.
And everything Baldwin said was right down Trump’s alley. What I mean by that is you simply did not know what was going to come out of his mouth. One of his first lines included the phrase “cream their jeans.” He would go on to take on some of the more remarkable Trump moments from the debate. The obnoxious sniffing, to the pronunciation of China, Baldwin hit all of the bases.
Introducing @AlecBaldwin as Donald Trump. #SNLPremiere pic.twitter.com/cGy7kotJWs
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) October 2, 2016
Live from New York!!! #SNLPremiere https://t.co/x5wuOi4J3z
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) October 2, 2016
Hopefully, we will be getting more of Baldwin as the season goes on. With Taran Killam no longer on the show, and the Presidential Election set to be a major part of this season, someone is going to need to portray Trump each week. Baldwin would be a great choice to bring back week in and week out. So here is to hoping we will be getting more of Baldwin’s Trump.
To watch the full “debate” scene with Baldwin as Trump from Saturday’s SNL premiere, check out Gossip Cop.
The opening episode is being hosted by actress Margot Robbie, with the musical guest The Weekend.