SNL Season Premiere Gets Political w/ Trump, Hillary and More

SNL Indicates Early That It Will Leave Mark on 2016 Race

by Josh Guckert

Since it concluded its 40th season just a few months ago, many have wondered what kind of jokes Saturday Night Live would make as the 2016 election has heated up. After all, SNL has truly shone a light on the weaknesses of political candidates over the past 4 decades; never refraining from lampooning those who wish to seek higher office.

Perhaps no political sketches have been more memorable than those which featured Chevy Chase‘s portrayal of Gerald Ford and Tina Fey‘s mocking of Sarah Palin, both of which are believed to have had a large impact on those individuals’ public images during the 1976 and 2008 elections, respectively.

Indeed, SNL did not disappoint, opening its 41st season with an announcement from Donald Trump (Taran Killam) and Melania Trump (Cecily Strong).

Throughout the sketch, Killam makes fun of Trump’s signature array of facial expressions, as he and Strong allude to the many controversies in which Trump has been embroiled; including allegations of sexism, xenophobia, and a lack of solid policy proposals.

In this hilarious sketch, SNL was able to encapsulate the thoughts of many Americans on the campaigns of Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Jim Gilmore, and Bobby Jindal. Somewhat ironically, many remarked on Twitter that this was the first that they had ever heard of Gilmore. The drug advertised is said to be marketed toward “eleven specific people,” so we can only take an educated guess and assume that SNL is suggesting that Lindsey Graham, George Pataki, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee join the aforementioned four in seeing their doctors about a prescription.

In another sketch, SNL cast-member and “resident young person” Pete Davidson gives the youth generation’s perspectives on politics. While obviously offering a satirical tone in his remarks, Davidson does give some insightful and clever analysis of the 2016 election; including a comparison of Donald Trump to former American Idol contestant Sanjaya Malakar.

https://youtu.be/6Jh2n5ki0KE

Perhaps the most widely-talked-about sketch of the SNL season premiere featured Kate McKinnon reprising her now-signature role as Hillary Clinton, with the actual Hillary Clinton playing a bartender named Val. The bar scene included several jabs at Clinton, including her waffling on issues like same-sex marriage and the Keystone XL Pipeline. Undoubtedly, it was yet another attempt by the Clinton camp to make the Democratic front-runner appear more likable and personable.