Hillary Clinton does a great Donald Trump impersonation. Who knew? In a surprise skit on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, her alter-ego, Kate McKinnon, impersonated the Hillary Clinton image. The real Hillary, playing Val the bartender, slipped easily into her deep-voiced impression of Trump:
“Donald Trump? Isn’t he the one that’s like ‘(Grunt), you’re all losers.'”
Then McKinnon’s Clinton joked:
“I will destroy him and I will mount his hair in the Oval Office!”
The sketch sets up with Clinton’s impersonator “blowing off some steam after a hard couple of 22 years.” The real presidential candidate used the SNL opportunity to cover six issues that haunt her on the campaign trail:
The Hillary Clinton Image
The Hillary Clinton image comes off as inauthentic and wooden. She deals with it via her impersonator. McKinnon calls herself a “grandmother” and “a human.” The real Clinton jokes:
“‘…a grandmother’ and ‘a human,” oh, I get it. You’re a politician.”
Washington Insider
Clinton tries to make herself more human, more likeable in the skit and distance herself from the Washington royalty:
“Val, I’m just an ordinary citizen who believes the Keystone pipeline will destroy our environment.”
Keystone Pipeline
Clinton was the very last Democratic candidate to come out against the Keystone Pipeline, an important environmental issue to her core supporters. The candidate said:
“There’s nothing wrong with taking your time. What’s important is getting it right.”
Same-Sex Marriage
Just as her delay on the Keystone Pipeline, the candidate was slow to come to a decision about same-sex marriage. Her impersonator made fun of her caution:
“I could have supported it sooner.”
Val tried to give the fake Clinton a pass, but McKinnon offered Clinton an escape from her prudence. Then the real Clinton said:
“Fair point.”
Oldest Candidate
While she freely admits she is a grandmother with a one-year-old granddaughter, the Hillary Clinton image she tries to project captures an essence of youthfulness. The skit handled this issue deftly when Val asked for the imitation Clinton’s ID. The actor laughed and confessed her operation was located in hip Brookline. Val replied:
“You give off such a young, cool vibe!”
Inheriting The Presidency
Clinton wants to claim the presidency as her right, rather than play down this sense of entitlement. McKinnon handled the issue using her granddaughter:
“She calls me Madam President.”
The topics Clinton did not address were as important as those in the skit. She avoided any mention of her emails, her competitor Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and her potential competitor, Vice President Joe Biden
“Bill Clinton,” played by former cast member Darrell Hammond, made a brief appearance. When he saw the twin Hillary’s, he headed back out the door lamenting:
“They’re multiplying!”
The real Hillary Clinton’s appearance on SNL was a brilliant catch for her presidential campaign. Check out the presidential candidate’s SNL skit video here:
https://youtu.be/6Jh2n5ki0KE
