The incredibly weird first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump freaked people out earlier this week, largely because of Trump’s combative demeanor and constant interruptions. But whatever opinions people had about that debate were definitely forgotten thanks to the thing that has dominated the news since Thursday night: the fact that that Trump — along with a ton of Republicans — contracted COVID-19 and is currently receiving treatment at Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C.
Even so, the writers of “SNL” chose to open the first show of the the 46th season of “SNL” with a parody of the debate that contained only vague references to Trump’s (and like we said, a ton of Republicans’) situation.
There he is. #SNLPremiere pic.twitter.com/Mfm7tBBcKh
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) October 4, 2020
There were basically two real references to Trump’s diagnosis. First, early on when Alec Baldwin’s Trump was asked about his real life counterpart’s efforts to hypocritically rush through a replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the supreme court, he said: “I’d like to begin with a list of complaints. People are mean to me. Joe here is very mean. Chris Wallace is mean. The economy is mean. It keeps losing jobs, which is mean to me. And the China virus has been very mean to me and being a hoax, and that statement is something that will probably come back to haunt me later this week.”
And near the end of the sketch, after a relatively low-energy take on the other insanity that was the debate, as Alec Baldwin’s Trump began to interrupt Jim Carrey’s Joe Biden’s closing statement, Carrey’s Biden pulled out a remote control and hit the pause button, which froze Trump in his tracks.
“Sorry, but I think we all needed a break. Isn’t that satisfying? Just not to hear his voice for a single goddamn second?” Carrey said, addressing the audience. “Let’s wallow in it. Let’s bask in the Trumplessness.”
Carrey’s Biden then asked to “speak directly to the American people.” “Is it gonna be weird?” asked Beck Bennet as Chris Wallace. ” “Totally. Totally weird,” Biden said.
“I know what will calm me down. My new Harry Styles meditation tape.” #SNLPremiere pic.twitter.com/1Vu5tiEDOb
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) October 4, 2020
“America, look directly into my eyeballs. You can trust me. Because I believe in science. And karma, Now just imagine if science and karma could somehow team up to send us all a message about how dangerous this virus can be. I’m not saying I want it to happen. Just imagine if it did,” Carrey continued, alluding to Trump’s medical situation.
“So this November please get on the Biden train, which is literally a commuter train to Delaware. And we can all make America not actively on fire again.”
Also featured in the episode was a cameo by Maya Rudolph as Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris.
WAP takes on a whole new meaning. #SNLPremiere pic.twitter.com/V9RPI8MRy8
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) October 4, 2020
Watch some of the cold open sketch up above, and below right now:
"Isn't that nice?" pic.twitter.com/GKqOZ0eryj
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 4, 2020
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