Since 1975, Saturday Night Live (SNL) has presented satirical political skits with one objective for its audience: to make them laugh, no matter their political stance. Under Donald Trump’s leadership, comedic relief is a necessity for Americans in order to escape from the country’s divisive political climate.
Among the struggles that our country faces currently, people can put their sorrows aside to enjoy a staple of American television: Laughing at the calamity of the nation’s political climate. SNL’s large platform takes advantage of their audience to continuously promote free speech through criticism of the government, as the media is historically guaranteed.
The show’s history of political satire tracks back to Chevy Chase impersonating President Gerald Ford in its debut season. Since then, cast members have mocked politicians’ flaws to take a lighter approach to politics rather than gloom and doom.
Fast forward 50 years, and Americans are more politically polarized than ever. With 51% of adults relying on social media for political news, people are more inclined to seek distrust in others rather than compromise. Civil political conversations are becoming rarer; they have become an avoided topic rather than a cordial discussion.
Despite this climate, Americans from both sides of the aisle anticipate how SNL will interpret political events every Saturday night. Iconic impressions of Hillary Clinton by Kate McKinnon or James Austin Johnson’s presentation of President Trump are instances where comedy lightens how television discusses politics.
Beyond the fact that these skits are created for entertainment, the writers and cast members intend to latently signal disapproval of the state of the country, as they recognize the show’s large influence.
SNL’s roasts are often intended to be fictional, tabloid jokes, but recently, they have shifted to revolve around realistic political affairs — the government shutdown, Trump’s involvement in the Epstein files and SNAP benefits being revoked.
During both of Trump’s presidencies, SNL skits have frequently roasted his republican agenda to put his actions into perspective. “Weekend Update” — a weekly news-style segment hosted by Colin Jost and Michael Che — includes digs at the president.
Jost took a stab at Trump’s interaction with a trick-or-treater on Nov. 1, asking, “Why is he so weird?” then describing his presidency as “A violation of norms that no other president or person has ever conceived of.”
These skits also critique Trump’s work as president beyond his actions, sending an underlying message about his character. Johnson’s impression of Trump caricaturizes his body language, ego and logic to indicate the danger that his poor integrity poses to America as a leader.
Compared to news outlets that provide one-sided views of politics, SNL’s portrayal of Trump brings a comedic approach, providing viewers with an understanding of how politics can impact the world around them on a national scale.
Historically, SNL has criticized Trump more than any other president, receiving negative reactions from Republicans on Capitol Hill. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson refused to react to SNL’s episode following the suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,”saying, “I have more entertaining things to do — like watch paint dry.” In 2019, Trump said that he wanted the FCC to investigate the show’s portrayal of him.
The right-wing media has also given harsh backlash to SNL’s skits mocking Republicans. In response to a “Black Jeopardy” skit featuring Tom Hanks, Fox News scrutinized SNL for being “low, uncouth and disgusting.”
Despite inevitable backlash, SNL persists in using its platform to shift the negative narrative of politics into something that all Americans can laugh at, even with Trump’s dangerous leadership morals.
While political satire cannot control the outcome of elections, these skits can share underlying messages to their viewers to contextualize the state of today’s political climate as something meant to serve the people, not to divide them.
Throughout SNL’s 50 years of giving Americans a laughable attitude towards politics, its skits have become iconic pieces of entertainment that people continuously look forward to, unlike nearly any other political event. Taking advantage of the unity that television provides is needed across the political spectrum to create a lighthearted, relieving pause from the current state of politics.
This story was written by Bella Gruber. She can be reached at [email protected]
