On this week’s “Saturday Night Live,” guest host John Cena portrayed Donald Trump in a point of view sequence that was both haunting and trippy at the same time. The skit played out like something of an “SNL” version of a fever dream, a strange look at the daily life of Donald Trump during his apparent upcoming Presidency.
The day breezes by in a rush, but quiet moments and soundless realizations guided it through some strange loops.
Almost none of the actors in the skit spoke in complete sentences — a signature move for Trump himself — their words coming out as repetitive, incomplete thoughts. “Huge, huge success,” muttered a newscaster on Trump’s bedroom TV. “Fantastic. Victory, landslide, Fox News. “
As he heads out to start his day, he catches his own reflection in a mirror — and, well, he sees his hands a bit differently than those who like to poke fun at them. This gif from the “SNL” Twitter explains it all:
Could this be what Trump sees when he looks in the mirror? #CenaOnSNL pic.twitter.com/fSd9Npb1Il
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 11, 2016
The skit continued through the cycle of the president-elect’s day, encountering pitfalls with what he deems to be “lying media” including the “The Failing New York Times.”
The New York Times, through Trump's eyes. #CenaOnSNL pic.twitter.com/aGZEyPGJqm
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 11, 2016
Life is a series of ups and downs. #CenaOnSNL pic.twitter.com/ISZdoWcUrQ
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) December 11, 2016
On his television, a beautiful model stands on stage delivering a speech against him. As with everything else in the skit, she speaks in short, abrasive sentences. “Thank you so much. Trump is bad. Trump is lies. Trump can’t do anything,” the woman says as the lighting in the room darkens.
Melania Trump and Mike Pence appear as babbling presences in Trump’s daily life, before he escapes the anxiety of his day for a little time with himself. Well, John Cena as himself, at least.