SNL’s Clinton shows us the uncomfortable truths
The Show: Saturday Night Live, Oct. 1, 2016 The Moment: Clinton-Trump debate
Hillary Clinton (Kate McKinnon) squares off against Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) on the debate stage. “He spent his life cheating labourers,” Clinton says. “Labourers like my own human father, who made drapes or sold drapes, something with drapes, and he was relatable and I am also relatable.”
Later, in her closing statement, she says, “Listen, America, I get it: you hate me. You hate my voice and you hate my face. Well, here’s a tip: if you never want to see my face again, elect me president, and I will lock myself in the Oval Office and not come out for four years. But if you don’t elect me, I will continue to run for president until the day I die.”
Rejoicing abounded when SNL announced that Baldwin will play Trump until the election and rightly so: the actor perfectly captures the candidate’s jutting lips, bullying cadences and the way he plays to his countrymen’s worst instincts.
(When I interviewed him this past spring, he called Trump “America’s bile duct.”)
As great as Baldwin is, though, I don’t need a Trump parody. Trump takes care of that himself. McKinnon’s performance is more relevant.
By pointing out both Clinton’s awkwardness (“my human father”), and the inherent sexism she faces from men and women (“you hate my face”), McKinnon gives us valuable insight into why America can’t warm to Clinton. Her impression goes beyond mockery to get to uncomfortable truths.
In this election (and its SNL funhouse mirror), he’s getting all the ink. But the story is her. Saturday Night Live airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. on Global TV and you can also watch sketches at globaltv.com. Johanna Schneller is a media connoisseur who zeroes in on pop-culture moments. She usually appears Monday through Thursday.