The Trumpster Fire managed to keep the writers at Saturday Night Live busy right up until rehearsal time this weekend. Sadly for the rest of us, it looks like Alex Baldwin and the crew over at SNL won't be lacking for new material to work with any time soon.
SNL Torches Donald Trump’s ‘Pussy’ Apology in Icky, NSFW Cold Open:
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.
Icky doesn't even begin to describe it. They wrapped things up wth SNL's Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton, celebrating over at campaign headquarters in "preparation" for this Sunday's debate.
