Newspaper Mistakenly Uses Alec Baldwin ‘SNL’ Image Instead Of Donald Trump
Alec Baldwin’s spot-on impersonation of Donald Trump has taken on a new form.
Dominican newspaper El Nacional accidentally used a photo of Baldwin from one of his many Saturday Night Live impersonations of President Donald Trump, according to Variety. The photo of Baldwin as Trump appeared next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an article titled “Israel Does not Favor Peace” (translated from Spanish).
Dear El Nacional, Alec Baldwin will be pleased as punch. But let’s hope the Dominican Republic isn’t added to Trump’s banned countries list pic.twitter.com/vt4NJe4NJf
— Sharon Gibson (@SharonGibson3) February 10, 2017
The paper quickly issued an apology to anybody affected by the error, adding that use of the Baldwin photo initially went “unnoticed.”
“El Nacional published on Friday as Donald Trump a picture of actor Alec Baldwin, who imitates him on a television program the president of the United States.
“The picture was sent that day by Associated Press (AP) with the name of the actor and informed about the program, but it was placed as if it were the one of Trump, situation that happened unnoticed for all that reviewed page 19.
“El Nacional apologizes to the readers and to all those who felt affected by the publication.
Actor Baldwin imitates President Trump on the Saturday Night Live weekly show on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), one of the most important in the United States.”
In all fairness, Baldwin has become as closely associated to Trump as anybody else. The 58-year-old actor has portrayed Trump since the beginning of Season 42, mocking the president for his perceived cluelessness, inexperience, unstable temperament and general lack of knowledge when it comes to politics. Baldwin as Trump has also been portrayed as a loyal supporter of Russia president Vladimir Putin and second-in-command to chief strategist Steve Bannon.
Saturday Night Live
The latest edition of SNL was the latest dig at the Trump administration. Baldwin hosted SNL for a record 17th time last night, continuing his portrayal as the president. However, unlike past episodes where Baldwin as Trump opens the program with a cold open, instead, Melissa McCarthy as White House press secretary Sean Spicer reprised her role from last week.
Trump was far from forgotten on the program. A skit of Baldwin as Trump inside a courtroom — an obvious reference to Trump’s immigration ban being suspended and his subsequent tweet that he’s taking the case to court — facing the three 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges who ruled against him. As the plaintiff on The People’s Court, Baldwin as Trump questioned the three judges who informed the faux president he was in a T.V. court.
“That’s OK, I’m a TV president,” Baldwin as Trump responded.
Trump, 70, has been critical of the SNL cast and Baldwin on Twitter, labeling the program as a “totally one-sided, biased show” and that Baldwin’s portrayal “could not get any worse.”
Baldwin has responded to Trump’s numerous Twitter tirades, extending the offer of stopping his Trump impersonation if the president releases his tax returns.
Release your tax returns and I’ll stop.
Ha— ABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) December 4, 2016
As of this writing, Trump is yet to issue any sort of comment — on Twitter or anywhere else — regarding this week’s show. The president has been busy this weekend welcoming Japan’s prime minister Shinz? Abe to the United States. However, it’s likely that once Trump views the episode, he will generate headlines with whatever tweet he decides to sent out to his 24.6 million followers.
It will be up to newspapers to use the correct picture below those headlines.
[Featured Image by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for NBC]
