Author: Dave Itzkoff / Source: New York Times
Sometimes a “Saturday Night Live” cold open is a genuine surprise, a distillation of recent history that comes completely out of left field. And then sometimes the events of a past week are outrageous enough that they demand an obvious approach. (In other words, if you were awaiting a sketch about Nikki Haley’s resignation as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, prepare to be disappointed.)
In his first “S.N.L.” appearance of the season, Alec Baldwin returned to his recurring role as President Trump to help recreate the strange Oval Office meeting that transpired on Thursday between the president and the rapper Kanye West.
Baldwin opened the meeting by announcing, “Thank you all for joining us today for this important discussion. It’s in no way a publicity stunt. This is a serious private conversation between three friends, plus 50 reporters with cameras.”
Chris Redd played West, who declared, “I flew here using the power of this hat.”
Also on hand was Kenan Thompson who played an embarrassed-looking Jim Brown. “I’ve been on coalitions with Bill Cosby and O.J. Simpson and this is the first time I have regrets,” he said at one point.
This is the third year that Baldwin has played Trump for “S.N.L.,” and in that time the actor has apparently gotten so familiar with the role that he now gives interviews in which he also boasts that “black people love me.” (Baldwin has also said of his “S.N.L.” appearances that this season, “I’m going to do some of it, but not a whole lot.”)
Meanwhile, West (who earlier on Saturday returned to Twitter to give
Last week, Pete Davidson appeared on “Weekend Update” to give a comic rebuttal of West, observing that “what Kanye said after we went off the air last week was one of the worst, most awkward things I’ve ever seen here — and I’ve seen Chevy Chase speak to an intern.
”This week’s episode, hosted by Seth Meyers and featuring the musical guest Paul Simon, would go on to reference the Trump-West summit many more times.
But back in the cold open, Redd was pontificating, Kanye-style: “The murder rate is going down, 20 percent every years. And pretty soon it’s going to be a negative murder rate. We’re going to be digging bodies out of the ground”
At the same time, Baldwin could be heard thinking Trump-like thoughts to himself: “This guy might be cuckoo. I’ve been in a room with Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-un and they made a lot more sense than him.”
Later, Baldwin was heard thinking, “This guy can talk. He doesn’t stop. He doesn’t listen to anyone but himself. Who does he remind me of?” The answer: “Oh my God, he’s black me.”
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