Déjà vu. Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump slammed the women accusing him of sexual assault on the Saturday, October 15, episode of Saturday Night Live in a spoof of the volatile second presidential debate.
For the night’s cold open, both Baldwin-as-Trump and Kate McKinnon–as–Hillary Clinton walked out on stage with swagger, taunting one another and faking each other out with a faux handshake not unlike the icy greeting the two real presidential candidates exchanged on Sunday, October 9.
From there on, the skit unfolded with remarkable resemblance to the actual debate, down to the deadpan questions from audience members and from moderators Anderson Cooper (new cast member Alex Moffat) and Martha Raddatz (Cecily Strong).
At one point in the faux debate, Strong-as-Raddatz brought up the many questions voters had submitted regarding the newly released 2005 footage of the real estate mogul bragging about forcing himself upon women and “grabbing them by the p–sy.”
“Listen, what I said is nothing compared to what Bill Clinton has done,” Baldwin-as-Trump responded. “He has abused [them] — and Martha, and Anderson, hold onto your nips and your nuts, because four of those women are here tonight. Four of them.”
McKinnon-as-Clinton feigned surprise as she reacted to the news. “Wait, I’m sorry. Who’s here? Mistresses? Bill, how could you? How will I go on with the debate?” she said in mock shock. “No, I’ll never be able to remember my facts and figures now. Oh, Donald, no! … Get real. I’m made of steel. This is nothing. Hi, girls.”
When faux Trump pointed out that faux Clinton was trying to silence her husband’s accusers, Strong-as-Raddatz asked what he thought of the women who were accusing him of sexual assault.
“They need to shut the hell up,” he responded.
Other highlights of the skit: when Baldwin creepily sneaked behind Clinton in a nod to the real Trump’s tendency to lurk behind the Democratic presidential candidate; a “special treat” for the viewers in the form of a dancing Ken Bone; and Moffet-as-Cooper and Strong-as-Raddatz taking a shot prior to “the second and worst-ever presidential debate.”
