After a three week hiatus, "Saturday Night Live" made its return. As expected, Donald Trump and the current administration were top targets.
"SNL" on Trump
When Donald Trump announced that he was going to run for office back in the summer of 2015, his candidacy was initially greeted as a joke. The consensus was that Trump was serious about becoming president, and was possibly doing so to generate ratings for his reality show. However, as the months moved forward and Trump's poll numbers increased, the reality that he could represent the Republican Party kicked in.
Once the former host of "The Apprentice" locked up the GOP nomination, "Saturday Night Live" hired veteran actor Alec Baldwin to play a satirical role of the billionaire real estate mogul. In the months that followed, Trump would lash out on social media over the show's popularity increase, which was largely due to their mockery of the 2016 election. Trump called for "SNL" to be canceled, and repeatedly accused Baldwin of not being funny. Since Election Day, "SNL" and other comedy shows have continued to poke fun at the current administration, with Baldwin actually winning an Emmy Award earlier this year for his performance. As seen on the November 4 edition of "Saturday Night Live," Trump was once again the prime target of satire and humor.
"I brought you in the shower to make sure you weren’t wearing a wire, Paul." #SNL pic.twitter.com/I5wtLoDjZy
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) November 5, 2017
Kicking off the show's cold open, Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump visited former campaign manager Paul Manager at his hotel room. After Baldwin explained that a blow-up doll of his likeness was attending his oversees trip to Asia with First Lady Melania Trump, he went on to complain that everyone is being too politically correct, pointing out that if he went to China, he wouldn't be able to mock them by doing the "slanty eyes thing."
Alec Baldwin and the satirical Paul Manafort spoke about the Russian investigation, with the president warning his former campaign manager that he could be attacked in prison due to the way he mocked minorities in the past.
The segment than cut back to Air Force One where Melania was speaking to the blow-up doll of Trump, and appeared thrilled she could actually get a word in without being talked down.
Just a normal shower, nothing to see here. #SNL pic.twitter.com/KhCZFmGP9M
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) November 5, 2017
Not stopping there, Alec Baldwin ended up taking the mock Paul Manafort to the bathroom to avoid being recorded by authorities.
While the two were in the shower, a satirical Mike Pence showed up to wash both men. "If you say anything about this Mike, I'll text this photo straight to Jesus," Baldwin said. The segment ended when Jeff Sessions, played by Kate Mckinnon, joined them with a stripped swim suit. "I thought we better get used to wearing stripes," she said, in reference to the Russian probe.
Next up
While Donald Trump continues to be the headline joke for comedy shows and late night TV hosts, the president has more important issues to worry about. On Friday, the president left the country to take part in a 13-day trip to Asia, landing in Japan on Saturday night. As the world waits to see how Trump handles himself with other world leaders, only time will tell how it all plays out.