Donald Trump, Alec Baldwin face off in tweets over ‘SNL’ skit
President-elect Donald Trump and actor Alec Baldwin exchanged another round of tweets over Baldwin's portrayal of him on "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016. Credit: Getty Images
President-elect Donald Trump tweeted criticism of “Saturday Night Live” and actor Alec Baldwin after the comedy show aired a sketch making fun of his tweeting habits.
“Just tried watching Saturday Night Live — unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can’t get any worse. Sad,” Trump wrote in a 12:13 a.m. tweet.
Baldwin tweeted a response 15 minutes later from his foundation’s account: “Release your tax returns and I’ll stop.”
The “SNL” skit featured Trump at a security briefing getting distracted retweeting tweets of supporters — including a high school student named Seth.
Trump bashed “SNL” and Baldwin’s portrayal of him throughout the presidential campaign. After the election, he called it “totally one-sided” and “biased,” while saying it offers “nothing funny at all.” He hosted the show in November 2015.
Last week, Trump retweeted supporters’ tweets during his Twitter criticism of CNN’s reporting over his unsupported claim that millions of people voted illegally in last month’s election. His retweets included one by a 16-year-old from Beverly Hills, California.
In the skit, Baldwin says, “Seth seems so cool. His Twitter bio says he wants to make America great again. It also says he loves the Anaheim Ducks.”
On CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Trump transition senior adviser Kellyanne Conway defended his use of Twitter. When asked by host Jake Tapper whether it was presidential of Trump, she said: “He’s the president-elect, so that’s presidential behavior,” adding, “The president-elect looks at his social media account as a very good platform to convey his message.”
Trump’s tweeting came after he attended a Saturday night costume party at campaign donor Robert Mercer’s mansion in Head of the Harbor.
David Schwartz covers environmental issues. A native Long Islander, he's worked at Newsday since 2013.
