In the final Saturday Night Live episode before the 2016 election, Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump broke character for the first time to apologize for yelling at Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton. “None of this will have mattered if you don’t vote,” the actor told viewers just three days before the country elected Donald Trump.
Four years later, Baldwin has still been milking his Trump impression week after week. But this time, he was nowhere to be seen as SNL opened its last show before the 2020 election with a Halloween message from Jim Carrey’s Joe Biden.
Telling viewers he wanted to read them a scary story, Biden picked up Triggered by Donald Trump Jr. before saying, “That’s a little too scary.” Instead, he chose an even more terrifying Edgar Allan Poe-inspired story about how the Democratic candidate could lose.
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He was joined by a series of special guests, starting with McKinnon’s Clinton, back from the past to warn him about everything that can go wrong. “This time is different, I can win. The people know I have a plan,” Biden said as Clinton finished his rhyme with, “But your real advantage is you’re not a woman, you’re a man!”
Then, after a deeply disturbing lesson about probability from FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver and a visit from rappers Ice Cube and Lil’ Wayne—both wearing MAGA hats—Biden was joined by the woman who just might help put him over the edge.
“Trump cannot win. We must do better than that spray-tan superspreader,” he said. “Still I will win, because I’m a baller. Just ask my running mate, Kamal-er.”
“So, whatever happens, America, know that we’ll be OK,” he added.
“Our nation will endure, we will fight another day,” Harris rhymed.
“I’m sure it will be peaceful, no matter who has won,” Biden said.
“Though it’s never a good sign when Walmart stops selling guns,” Harris added. “Use your voice and use your vote. Democracy will represent.”
“This Daylight Savings Time, let’s gain an hour and lose a president,” Biden concluded.
The pair prominently crossed their fingers as they shouted one last “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” before November 3.
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