There was a palpable thirst for this week’s Saturday Night Live outing. And, after this week’s cold open, the sketch show seemed to quench it.
From almost the second that a tape leaked of Donald Trump bragging about sexual assault—telling former Access Hollywood host Billy Bush that because he is famous he can just grab women “by the pussy”—the public began salivating for a proper SNL takedown of the disgusting comments, especially after the Republican presidential nominee barely mustered a non-apology for them.
The episode tackled the incident, dubbed “Tapegate,” right away, fudging with the timeline a bit by inserting the recent news into a sketch that opened mocking the vice presidential debate. Talking about Trump’s rhetoric with women, running mate Mike Pence (played by Beck Bennett) says, “Donald Trump loves women. He respects women. He’s never said a bad thing about women,” and then asks for video evidence to the contrary.
A breaking news alert suddenly interrupts the debate, with CNN’s Brooke Baldwin (played by Cecily Strong) recounting the news of Trump’s comments, the public uproar, and the denunciation of his candidacy by key members of the GOP leadership.
Enter Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump to defend himself: “Are you not entertained?”
The image of a bloated, hideously tanned Baldwin in costume as Trump shrugging at the camera dismissing the criticism because it’s provided media fodder is eerily accurate, as indicated by Trump’s actions in the wake of the controversy—barely contrite, apologizing only for offending and not for his behavior, making light of the uproar on Twitter, and steadfastly refusing to end his candidacy.
“I deeply apple-gize,” Baldwin’s Trump continues. “Are you trying to say apologize?” Strong’s Baldwin asks. Trump—har har har—literally can’t say the word. “Come on, Brooke. I was trying to look cool. What normal red-blooded American doesn’t want to impress the Billy Bush,” he says, SNL’s writers channeling a national fatigue over the fratty Today show host.
“It was 11 years ago, back when I was just a young, childish 59-year-old man,” he continues, the sketch putting on blast that imbecilic excuse both Trump and Bush made, that they were younger and less mature when they made those comments, when they were fully-grown men with no justification.
The biggest roar from the SNL audience came when Baldwin’s Trump expands on his “grab ‘em by the pussy” rhetoric. “If you give me a chance I promise I can do a whole lot more than just grab it,” he says, as the audience laughter builds. “I can also bop it, twist it, and pull it.”
In two more cutaways later in the sketch, Baldwin’s Trump mimes with his fingers what is clearly meant to be groping—if not digitally entering—women.
It’s all very funny, sure. I guess. But it’s also very icky.
Turns out that even satirizing Trump’s comments can’t make them lose their sting. They’re just as disturbing when mocked in this way, and, if we were going to whip out our Problematic Police badge, there is something even more disturbing about turning sexual assault into physical comedy the way the sketch did multiple times.
Maybe we were hoping for a little more brutal meanness and a little less winking at the controversy, a teasing of Trump that hints that it’s all in fun when, in reality, there shouldn’t be anything fun about it. He got a send-up when he deserved a dressing-down.
Adding to the hall of mirrors, of course, is the fact that it’s Alec Baldwin who is playing Donald Trump in this sketch. Baldwin has his own problems with misogyny and has himself been exposed by a leaked tape, calling his daughter a “rude, thoughtless pig.” The glee with which Baldwin seemed to mock Trump’s own predatory sexism could be construed as hypocritical, or at least a little tone-deaf.
Then, too, is the fact that SNL is in its own way—the extent to which is up for debate—complicit in the rise of Trump and the incessant excusing of his harmful comments and behavior.
When the show gave him the platform to host an episode last season, it contributed to the condemnable trend of TV shows and the media treating his candidacy as entertainment. Because of that, even now when his campaign is facing its worst backlash so far this election, his candidacy is still treated that way. We’re laughing at it now.
The sketch ended with a cut to Hillary Clinton’s campaign headquarters where her team is partying over news of the leak. Kate McKinnon’s Clinton can barely keep a straight face when she’s talking about how terrible the comments are. “It’s a sad day for our country and all women,” she says, then with a wink: “Minus one.”
And to the women who are still supporting Trump despite these comments, she has some real talk: “My babies, you’re brain broke. I love ya. But, bish, you cray.”
Again, the sketch was very funny. And the general reaction on Twitter seemed to be that it was ruthless enough that it could help put the final nail in the Trump campaign coffin. All of that might be true, but we identified with Strong’s Baldwin throughout the sketch who just kept holding herself and shivering, creeped out. Parts of its tone kind of made us feel icky.
The palate cleanser, though, came when host Lin-Manuel Miranda did a rap during his opening monologue that paused backstage at a photo of Trump hosting and called him a “piece of…” but censoring himself before the word came out. Then a little interlude, “y’all never gonna be president,” before continuing his rap.
A little bit of welcome class.
