The best lines from Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump in the latest “SNL” cold open
We hate to admit it, but one of the best things about Donald Trump’s presidency might be Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of him on Saturday Night Live. And even though we’re not quite sure how we feel about Baldwin after his completely unacceptable tweets about Dylan Farrow, even we have to agree that his stint as Donald Trump on SNL totally keeps us sane during this time of, um, questionable politics. Truthfully, Baldwin’s latest SNL cold open as Trump gives us life.
Because let’s face it. Experts recently named Donald Trump the worst president ever (yes, even worse than Richard Nixon), and people in *both* political parties aren’t exactly pleased with his recent actions. From using a photo of a Parkland shooting survivor to solicit donations for his 2020 presidential campaign to misleading the public on gun control, Trump’s behavior in the White House definitely gives the folks at Saturday Night Live a lot of material to work with. Which, okay, is both good and bad.
Cast member Alex Moffat kicked off last night’s SNL cold open as Anderson Cooper, launching us into a parodied version of Trump’s bipartisan meeting that was held in response to the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
“In times like this, we look to our leaders for guidance, Moffat-as-Cooper said. “But instead, we’ll hear from Donald Trump.
Baldwin’s Trump, accompanied by Cecily Strong as Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Beck Bennett as Vice President Mike Pence, ranted about potential gun control solutions such as the role of mental health in mass shootings.
“We have to take a hard look at mental health, which I have so much of, Baldwin-as-Trump said. “I have one of the healthiest mentals. My mentals are so high.
Baldwin’s lines during the SNL cold open included some very poignant burns. He even mentioned the hefty donations the NRA spent on Trump’s 2016 campaign, and the result was both hilarious and depressing.
“Don’t worry, Mike, I met with the NRA, Baldwin said, referring to Trump’s recent meeting with an NRA lobbyist about gun control. “They gave me 30 million good reasons not to change a thing.
Baldwin also discussed the countries that are “beating” the United States — including Black Panther‘s fictional Wakanda.
"They’re all beating us: China, Japan, Wakanda," he said. "Wakanda is laughing at us. They’ve got flying cars, people, in Wakanda."
For more lolz, watch the video of Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump in the SNL cold open.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Probably one of best — and most concerning — lines came toward the end of the SNL cold open, when Baldwin referenced Trump’s new aluminum and steel tariffs. Multiple industries have expressed their disapproval of the new tariffs, which many expect to cause more harm to the American economy than good. Even Republicans have expressed their disapproval of the plan.
“I brought back the steel industry by destroying the auto industry and tanking the stock market, Baldwin's Trump said. “I said I was going to run this country like a business. That business is a Waffle House at 2 a.m., crazies everywhere, staff walking out in the middle of their shift, managers taking money out of the cash register to pay off the Russian mob.
Seriously though, we might need some aloe vera for that burn. We honestly hope SNL has *less* fodder for Baldwin to work with in the future. But for now, we’re just grateful to have them making us laugh when we kinda want to cry.
