U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday doubled down on his scorn for popular TV sketch show “Saturday Night Live,” and especially Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of him, saying “the skits are terrible.” Trump, who hosted “Saturday Night Live” in November 2015 when he was running for the Republican president, has vented his anger on Twitter in recent weeks, calling the NBC show “totally unwatchable” and a “hit-job.” The Republican businessman said in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show on Wednesday that Baldwin’s depiction of him was “really mean-spirited and not very good.” “I do like him and I like him as an actor, but I don’t think his imitation of me gets me at all,” the Republican added.
“And you know, I get that that’s show business and it’s supposed to be funny and entertaining and all that, but this just goes overboard every single time I see it, it’s just plain offensive,” Trump complained. “And here’s the thing, right, I’m a guy who knows about show business. I’ve been a part of it my whole life and I’ve made millions off of it. I know what people like and what people want to hear and see – that’s part of why I am today the President of the United States and not a company owner struggling with debt who’s about to go bankrupt. I know what I’m doing and I’m the first one to take a joke, but what they’re doing on that show is plain rude and offensive. I won’t stand for it.”
The billionaire-businessman-turned-President-elect also said that this doesn’t bode well for Baldwin, because “he’s barking up a tree with big coconuts dangling from its branches.” “I mean, like I said – I always try to look for the good side of everything, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to take mockery and insults kindly. I’d just like to remind you and everyone present, as well as those who are watching this at home that former President Obama also laughed at me back in 2011. And I let it slide back then as well, but here’s the thing: I’m sitting in his chair today. I got his chair and he’s out of the White House. Do you follow what I’m saying?” Trump asked.
“And I’m sorry to have to say this out loud and at the risk of sounding like I’m threatening him, but if he keeps this up, Baldwin is next,” the President-elect warned. “I mean, I’ve hosted ‘Saturday Night Live’ before, I know how it’s done. And even if I didn’t I’d still do an amazing job of it, because that’s the kind of guy I am and that’s why Americans voted for me. I’m the guy who gets the job done no matter what. And it’s very easy for me to arrange to be the next host of the show, trust me when I say it, very easy. Next thing he knows, Baldwin is going to be back in the alcohol-filled hole from which he crawled out hoping that insulting hard-working people would get him ahead in life. Doesn’t work that way, especially not with me,” Trump concluded.
