This week’s "Saturday Night Live" cold open welcomes back Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump, the prolific tweeter and president-elect who is fuming over a bad restaurant review in "Vanity Fair."
Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton also returns to the show in a romantic “Love Actually”-inspired sketch in which she attempts to persuade an elector to cast her ballot for "literally anyone" but Trump" Dec. 19. "John Kasich," she suggests. "Tom Hanks, Zendaya, The Rock—a rock."
The Christmas-themed episode begins with a clatter in Donald Trump's chimney.
Santa?
No. Someone else.
“Vladimir, what are you doing here?” Trump asks as a shirtless Putin (Beck Bennett) bearing a Santa sack emerges from the hearth.
“Oh, I was just in town, you know…hiding in the walls,” he explains.
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He also wants to discuss reports that Russian hacking that likely influenced the results of the U.S. election.
"Your CIA is trying to say that Russians helped you win the election," he complains.
“Lies, made up by some bitter people,” Trump affirms.
“So, you trust me more than your CIA?” Putin asks, unable to mask his excitement.
“I just don’t really care,” Trump says.
"Wow, this guy is blowing my mind," Putin replies. "I want to state officially that we in Russia are so happy that you are U.S. president. “We think you are the best candidate…”
“Sure,” Trump agrees.
“…the smartest candidate…”
“No doubt.”
“…the Manchurian candidate.”
“I don’t know what that is," Trump asserts, "but it sounds tremendous.”
Putin also hands him a gift—an Elf on the Shelf he's instructed to keep next to his internet router "all year."
Trump apologizes that he doesn't have a gift to offer him in return.
"Please Mr. Trump," he replies. "You are the gift."
PEOTUS starts to feel a little left out, though, when his Secretary of State pick Rex Tillerson drops by and is delighted to reunite with his good friend Putin. Real-life Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil, is known for his friendly relationship with Russia.
The two men share a secret handshake and quickly begin talking strategy.
Trump’s attempts to chime in are waved off as the other two make plans for Russia’s oil resources.
"Then we can destroy 'Vanity Fair,' right?" Trump interjects. "They're really a terrible publication, really just terrible" he says, echoing his real life criticism of the magazine after it published a negative review of his Trump Grill steakhouse earlier in the week.
“Yeah, that’s cool, buddy,” they tell him. “Sure, sure.”
In a later sketch, Kate McKinnon, reprising her role as Hillary Clinton, appears with a stack of note cards at the door of an elector in a last-ditch effort to keep Trump from the White House.
In a scene inspired by "Love Actually," in which Mark expresses his love to Juliet in a series of giant note cards, Clinton greets the elector with her own. "I know you're an elector," she begins. "And on December 19th you're supposed to vote for Donald Trump."
"But bish...he cray."
'SNL' host Casey Affleck welcomed Kenan Thompson’s “Black Santa” to the stage during his opening monologue.
“You know, you can just say ‘Santa,’” Thompson says.
Affleck, a Massachusetts native, later appeared in a sketch that poked fun at coffee chain Dunkin' Donuts.
"This is the face of Dunkin' Donuts right here," Affleck said in the sketch while holding a lit cigarette out of a Dunkin' Donuts' front door.
Thompson later joined musical guest Chance the Rapper in an original music video dedicated to Obama’s last Christmas as president.
Weekend Update covered Russia as well, welcoming two of Putin’s “best friends growing up” to comment on the Russian leader’s character.
And another guest commentator reminded us how bad 2016 — year of Zika, Harambe and Ken Bone — sucked.[[407277265, C]]
Chance the Rapper performed "Same Drugs."
