“Saturday Night Live” dedicated its entire cold opening to a real-life flurry of retweets by President-elect Trump this week, imagining the tweetstorm taking place during a national security briefing from Trump Tower.
The real President-elect Trump wasted little time to denounce the skit on Twitter, calling it “unwatchable!”
“Just tried watching Saturday Night Live – unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can’t get any worse. Sad,” Trump tweeted early Sunday morning.
Just tried watching Saturday Night Live – unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can’t get any worse. Sad
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016
The tweet elicited a near-immediate response from Alec Baldwin, who returned this week to portray Trump in the skit. “Release your tax returns and I’ll stop,” he said.
Release your tax returns and I’ll stop.
Ha— ABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) December 4, 2016
In the cold opening, during what is supposed to be a serious meeting, Baldwin retweeted a number of random people across the United States, including a 16-year-old high schooler.
“Kellyanne I just retweeted the best tweet — I mean wow what a great, smart tweet,” Baldwin said to Kate McKinnon’s Kellyanne Conway.
“Mr. Trump, we’re in a security briefing,” interrupted one of two intelligence analysts who were in the room to deliver the briefing on security threats.
“I know but this could not wait. It was from a young man named Seth, he’s 16, he’s in high school, and I really did retweet him. Seriously. This is real,” Baldwin said, referring in a wink-and-nod fashion to the audience to reports this week that the real life Trump did retweet a 16-year-old named Seth.
“Seth seems so cool. His Twitter bio says he wants to make America Great Again … it also says he loves the Anaheim Ducks.”
Related Story: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2608806
McKinnon broke in, explaining there is a strategic reason why Trump tweets and retweets so much.
“He does it to distract the media from his business conflicts and other very scary people in his Cabinet,” she said.
“Actually that’s not why I do it, I do it because my brain is bent,” Trump chimed in.
After pledging to turn his attention back to the briefing, two minutes later Baldwin was at it again.
“Oops I did it again,” Baldwin sang to Britney Spears’ hit 2000 single after retweeting another real guy named Joe.
A seemingly uninformed Baldwin described a number of accomplishments that he claimed to have made since being elected president on Nov. 8, even though Trump has yet to take office until Jan. 20, listing off a number of things President Obama has done in office including the unemployment rate being at a 9-year low, providing millions more people healthcare coverage and killing Osama Bin Laden.
“And next I am going to do what I promised my whole campaign and I am going to build that swamp,” Baldwin said.
“Don’t you mean drain the swamp and build the wall?,” McKinnon asked.
“No that’s too many things. Just smoosh them together. Smoosh!”, Baldwin replied.
After slamming his phone on the table, Baldwin promised they had his “undivided attention.”
Only 10 seconds later he retweeted a guy whose bio said “liberalism is a mental illness.”
“Another great retweet,” Baldwin said firing off an air horn.
At the end of the skit, Baldwin demanded to know where his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon was, before they continued with the briefing.
In walked a person dressed up in a black robe and wearing a skull mask, looking just like the Grimm Reaper.
Can’t start the meeting without Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon. #SNL pic.twitter.com/R5NVUyBu1C— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) December 4, 2016
“Sorry I’m late,” said the dark figure.
“It’s OK Steve. You look great,” Baldwin said, before they shouted the traditional skit-ending, “and live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

