An uncensored Baldwin talks Trump
‘ Boss Baby’ star lets loose on his ‘ SNL’ character
As impersonator in chief for President Trump, Alec Baldwin has some surprising opinions about our 45th commander in chief.
He doesn’t think his satire of Trump on Saturday Night Live has been effective. He admires Trump for his loyal family. But let’s give Baldwin the floor uncensored as he speaks to USA TODAY for his upcoming animated film The Boss
Baby ( in theaters March 31), in which he plays a business- minded infant.
Q What do you like about President Trump?
A Well, his children seem loyal to him, which I’ve got to give him credit for that. I don’t want to believe it’s all about their inheritance. I want to think that Trump’s children are very loyal to him. That must say something for him. Because otherwise, his kids could just vanish. They certainly have the resources to put some money in their pocket and take off. They don’t really have to be. But they are fiercely loyal to him, so that has to matter for something. So I do recognize that about him. But in terms of his politics, no, there is really nothing I could say.
Q How long will you act as Trump on Saturday Night Live?
A I don’t know. I can honestly say I don’t think much longer. Meaning this season, I would do it. I do think that people are, I could be wrong, but I do think that people are growing, not so much weary of it, where they think it’s funny, but they don’t know if it’s achieving any practical purposes. It’s a satire that’s not really leading to the effect you hope satire will have. You know, Trump, some people would say to me very pointedly, “How do you feel that you helped Trump get elected? You humanized him. And you kind of trivialized him in a way that softened him to the public.” That certainly wasn’t the point.
Trump was someone who, regardless of whether he was parodied or not, regardless of who did the parody, and what was written, I thought Trump was someone who was completely disqualified to be the president. All of these things that surfaced about his misogyny and women and things like that. I thought, “Oh, God, this is just, dust off the Air Force One for Hillary Clinton.” And I thought there was just no way he could have won with all of those things that were out there about him. But, you know, it’s a historic about- face, if you will, of public opinion, so it’s interesting. I know I am going to do a few more shows by the end of the year, they finish in May. Those guys are all dear friends of mine. ( SNL producer) Lorne ( Michaels) is a dear friend of mine. It’s like going home when I’m there. I love them and I love being there. But after the summer — I take the summer off withmy family — and when I come back, there’s just a whole host of other things I want to be doing. And it would be out of the question that I would be available to do that long- term.
Q Do you fear repercussions for lampooning President Trump?
A No, I never think about that. There was a joke, I was withmy assistant, I said this on ( Jimmy) Kimmel, and we went to Dean & DeLuca to get a cup of coffee down in Soho. And we ran into Tony Kushner, the famous playwright. And I saw Tony and said, “How are you?” And he turned tomy assistant, Casey, and he said, “Is this your taster?” He’s a brilliant guy, very funny.
But I do not have any fear whatsoever that something is going to happen, ( that) my taxes are going to get audited or that kind of thing. I don’t really fear that. I mean, I think that Trump is someone, who no matter what we did, if we really had softened it— if you had someone do sketches where they exalted Trump. If the Fox News division had a comedy show, I know that’s incongruous, but if they had a comedy show and they just celebrated Trump in a humorous way— nonetheless, he wouldn’t be happy. I don’t think Trump is happy with anything said about him in the modern world or media.