Trump Says ‘SNL’ Sketches Are Part Of Democrat Spin Machine And Calls For Courts To Intervene
President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday morning to issue a message criticizing Saturday Night Live as part of what he sees as the “Democrat spin machine” and calling for the show and the NBC network to be “tested in courts.” Fox News reports that the tweet comes after a sketch on the show parodied a world in which Trump was never elected.
On the final Saturday Night Live episode of the year, Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, and Matt Damon, along with cast regulars, appeared in a parody of the movie It’s A Wonderful Life showing a world in which Hillary Clinton was elected president instead of Trump. As the sketch unfolds, Trump, played by Baldwin, is led around by Clarence the Angel and learns that the lives of those around him were all better off for his having lost the election. For instance, Robert Mueller, played by De Niro, is able to spend time with his family, and Brett Kavanaugh, played by Matt Damon, was never forced through the humiliating confirmation hearing to get on the Supreme Court.
Later in the show, Michael Che and Colin Jost poked fun at the president during their “Weekend Update” sketch, saying that it had been a difficult “year” for Trump last week with the various investigations into his campaign, transition, inauguration, bus, nesses, and administration. They also ribbed the president for seeming to not understand the law.
It appears that the president wasn’t amused by the jokes, however. On Sunday morning, he tweeted that the one-sided coverage was unfair and defamatory and said that there should be government action against shows like SNL.
“A REAL scandal is the one sided coverage, hour by hour, of networks like NBC & Democrat spin machines like Saturday Night Live. It is all nothing less than unfair news coverage and Dem commercials,” he wrote. “Should be tested in courts, can’t be legal? Only defame & belittle! Collusion?”
A REAL scandal is the one sided coverage, hour by hour, of networks like NBC & Democrat spin machines like Saturday Night Live. It is all nothing less than unfair news coverage and Dem commercials. Should be tested in courts, can’t be legal? Only defame & belittle! Collusion?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2018
This isn’t the first time Trump has gone after Saturday Night Live for what he sees as unfair coverage.
“Like many, I don’t watch Saturday Night Live (even though I past hosted it) – no longer funny, no talent or charm. It is just a political ad for the Dems,” he wrote.
Like many, I don’t watch Saturday Night Live (even though I past hosted it) – no longer funny, no talent or charm. It is just a political ad for the Dems. Word is that Kanye West, who put on a MAGA hat after the show (despite being told “no”), was great. He’s leading the charge!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2018
Trump has also attacked NBC on multiple occasions, saying that the FCC should look into revoking the network’s broadcast license. FCC chairman Ajit Pai said that the agency doesn’t have the authority to revoke a license based on the content of one newscast. Nor does the department issue licenses to networks, only to individual stations.
