NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Entertainment

Trump and Alec Baldwin clash over Saturday Night Live jokes

By Elahe Izadi
Washington Post·
21 Nov, 2016 08:00 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump in last night's episode of Saturday Night Live.

Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump in last night's episode of Saturday Night Live.

Alec Baldwin returned to Saturday Night Live this weekend in his first post-election appearance, portraying President-elect Donald Trump as he grapples with his transition from candidate into head of state.

The cold open didn't feature a bombastic Trump, but one slowly coming to terms with the reality of what the presidency entails.

Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, played by Kate McKinnon, increasingly grows nauseated as she ushers in person after person to meet with the new president.

Donald Trump Prepares Cold Open

President-elect Trump finds himself learning what the job really entails.

Posted by Saturday Night Live on Sunday, 20 November 2016

After Gen. Joseph F Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tells Trump how excited he is to hear about the "secret" plan to defeat the Islamic State, Trump turns to his laptop.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Okay, right, here we go. Here we go. Big plan. Big plan. Google, 'What is ISIS?'" Trump says. "Oh my - 59 million results."

He then picks up his phone: "Siri, how do I kill Isis?" Turns out he was talking into a Blackberry.

The episode drew instant criticism from real-life Trump on Twitter, a day after he demanded an apology from the cast of Hamilton, who had recited a short message to audience member Vice President-Elect Mike Pence:

"I watched parts of @nbcsnl Saturday Night Live last night. It is a totally one-sided, biased show - nothing funny at all. Equal time for us?"

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In response, Baldwin sent a series of tweets to the President-Elect telling him he should be focused on American lives instead.

The actor told Trump that he doesn't get "equal time" now that he's going to be President and people have a right to respond, and criticised him for his cabinet appointments and his seeming willingness to go to war.

...@realDonaldTrump
Equal time?
Election is over. There is no more equal time. Now u try 2 b Pres + ppl respond. That's pretty much it.

— HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) November 20, 2016

Trump hosted SNL a year ago this month, in an episode that brought huge ratings, controversy and bad reviews. A year later, the show has drawn his ire.

...@realDonaldTrump
I would make appointments that encouraged people, not generate fear and doubt.
.

— HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) November 20, 2016

In October, he referred to an episode as a "hit job on me. Time to retire the boring and unfunny show. Alec Baldwin portrayal sinks. Media rigging election!"

Discover more

World

Fallout from Trump assassination skit

20 Nov 11:17 PM
Entertainment

Watch: Trump's 'Christmas tree of shame'

17 Dec 08:43 PM

I could go on. You want more advice, call me.
I'll be at SNL.

— HABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) November 20, 2016

SNL treated Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton last week with a somber tribute to Clinton by a teary-eyed McKinnon that featured no jokes at all.

In this weekend's cold open, an out-of-work Virginian tells Trump that if he can build a $25 billion, 2000-mile wall on the Mexican border, he can bring back every single job that's been lost in recent years.

Trump then says, "$25 billion? It can't be that much - Oh God, oh God, don't worry, Donald. It'll be OK. Hillary is still ahead in the polls."

Mitt Romney, played by Jason Sudeikis, even shows up for an extended, awkward handshake. Romney, once a fierce critic of Trump, met with the Trump transition team earlier this week.

Former cast member, Jason Sudeikis, right, showed up for a brief cameo as 2012 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Former cast member, Jason Sudeikis, right, showed up for a brief cameo as 2012 Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Later in the sketch, Pence shows up and says that Hamilton was good. "I got a free lecture." He then runs through all the upcoming agenda items and the roadblocks to getting them done: repealing Obamacare; identifying and deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants; hiring a special prosecutor to go after Clinton.

"Scrap it. Scraaaaped," Trump responds to the plans.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Sir, being president is not going to be easy," Pence says. "But we'll get through it if we work hard, together."

"Thank you, Mike," Trump responds. "You're going to do everything, right?"

It makes Trump's second attack on the arts this week. Over the weekend he got angry with Broadway musical Hamilton after the cast scolded Pence who was in the audience. His complaints earned him a huge backlash from Hollywood stars on Twitter.

The Theater must always be a safe and special place.The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Entertainment

Entertainment

Bambina’s Matt McMillan’s favourite spots in Auckland

05 Jul 05:00 PM
Entertainment

Star’s final posts to daughter before death

05 Jul 06:46 AM
Entertainment

'Absolutely insane': Lorde's new album hits number 1 on both sides of globe

05 Jul 06:12 AM

Sponsored: Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

 Bambina’s Matt McMillan’s favourite spots in Auckland

Bambina’s Matt McMillan’s favourite spots in Auckland

05 Jul 05:00 PM

Every week we ask a well-known Aucklander for their favourite spots in the city.

Star’s final posts to daughter before death

Star’s final posts to daughter before death

05 Jul 06:46 AM
'Absolutely insane': Lorde's new album hits number 1 on both sides of globe

'Absolutely insane': Lorde's new album hits number 1 on both sides of globe

05 Jul 06:12 AM
Premium
Marlee Matlin on Hollywood, healing and stories still untold

Marlee Matlin on Hollywood, healing and stories still untold

05 Jul 06:00 AM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP