New York: Though there is still a week until Christmas, Saturday Night Live has already seized the opportunity to leave a lump of coal in the stocking of President-elect Donald Trump.
In its final episode of 2016, SNL, the sketch series and enduring thorn in Mr Trump’s side, began with a cold open on Saturday that went hard at some sensitive spots for the President-elect: his relationship to President Vladimir Putin of Russia, his courtship of Melania Trump, and some of his recent gaffes and Cabinet nominations.
The show all but dared Mr Trump to respond on his Twitter account, but he did not immediately do so.
The opening sketch once again featured Alec Baldwin as Mr Trump and Kate McKinnon as his senior adviser Kellyanne Conway. It began with him revealing that he had chosen Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas, to be secretary of energy after seeing him on Dancing With the Stars.
“This guy has so much energy,” Mr Baldwin said as Mr Trump. “It’s just unpresidented.” (The malapropism was a reference to a tweet Mr Trump had posted on Saturday morning, in which he wrote “unpresidented,” which he then deleted and replaced with the correct word, “unprecedented.”)
A bare-chested Mr Putin (played by SNL cast member Beck Bennett) soon came down the chimney with a Santa sack. He flattered Mr Trump as “the best candidate” and “the smartest candidate” — and “the Manchurian candidate,” implying Mr Trump was an unwitting Russian puppet.
“I don’t know what that means, but it sounds tremendous,” the Mr Trump character said.
The Mr Putin character then gave Mr Trump an “Elf on the Shelf” toy.
“Vladimir, I’m sorry, but I didn’t know you were coming, so I do not have a gift for you,” the Mr Trump character said. “Please, Mr. Trump, you are the gift,” the Russian leader replied.
Melania Trump (played by Cecily Strong) interrupted to express concern that Mr Putin and her husband were becoming too cozy.
Appearing later was Rex W. Tillerson (John Goodman, the frequent SNL host and guest star), Mr Trump’s nominee for secretary of state.
He quickly huddled with Mr Putin to review some plans for oil drilling, excluding Mr Trump from their discussions.
