After two weeks into the new year and Donald Trump has found himself in the headlines on more than one occasion. With the return of "Saturday Night Live" from their holiday break, it was only a matter of time before the president and his administration were targeted.
"SNL" on Trump
It all started not long after Donald Trump locked up the Republican nomination following his upset win over 16 other candidates in the GOP primary. Trump's next step was the general election against Hillary Clinton, which was first seen on primetime during their debate.
It was then that "Saturday Night Live" producers hired veteran actor Alec Baldwin to play the satirical role of Donald Trump. Baldwin was so convincing in his portrayal that he received high praise from critics, leading to a win at the Emmy Awards. While many loved Baldwin's performance, which helped "SNL" reach historically high ratings, the president himself was not a fan, as he made it routine to lash out at the program on a routine basis during the campaign. While Trump no longer speaks out against "SNL" on his social media accounts, Baldwin and other cast members took shots at the controversy in the White House during nearly all of their broadcasts. After a break for the holidays, "Saturday Night Live" made their return on January 13.
Welcome to the show, Mr. Bannon. #SNL pic.twitter.com/805PXTv14k
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) January 14, 2018
Kicking off the show's cold open were mock versions of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough who were soon joined by a satirical Michael Wolff to talk about "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House." After the mock Brzezinski expressed her outrage and asked what wasn't' included in the book, she quickly got her answer.
"I think the worst one were the baby races. Trump asked for two babies to be placed in his office, usually of different a ethnicity. Someone would put a bowl of goldfish crackers on the other side of the room and Trump would say '$1,000 on the black one.'"
Michael Wolff (Fred Armisen) reveals what didn't make it into "Fire and Fury." #SNL pic.twitter.com/Q0mBaNOy9p
— Saturday Night Live - SNL (@nbcsnl) January 14, 2018
Bill Murray on Bannon
Steve Bannon was then portrayed on the show by former cast member Bill Murray, who sat down next to the mock Michael Wolff.
"I convinced this country to elect Donald and will do it again," Bannon said. "Already got prospects. Logan Paul. Martin Shkreli. The Subway guy. It’s time for America to slide down the Bannon-ster.”," he said. Closing the segment out was a satanical Oprah Winfrey to play off the speculation that she could run for president in 2020.
Bill Murray just played Steve Bannon to Fred Armison’s Michael Wolff on #SNL and I am dead pic.twitter.com/VzR4mSehxA
— shauna (@goldengateblond) January 14, 2018
Next up
As "Saturday Night Live" and other comedy shows continue to poke fun at Donald Trump, the president has many other issues to deal with. In the aftermath of his controversial "sh*thole" comments, Trump is still on notice about about the future of the Russian investigation that has helped push his approval rating below 35 percent.