“SNL” imagined the scariest Democratic candidates for 2024 presidential race, from Joe Biden to Beto O’Rourke, in a sketch parodying the terrifying odds for the next presidential election through a horror movie trailer.
The sketch kicks off with a mundane night for a couple, played by Chloe Fineman and Mikey Day, who learn that President Joe Biden intends to run for re-election, a scary possibility that sends them into existential dread for the future of the democratic party and the nation as the pair identifies other candidates they would prefer run in place of Biden.
“Sometimes a familiar face can be the most terrifying. You trusted him once,” the trailer echoes as Day reassures his partner — and himself — that Joe Biden isn’t too old for the job and notes that he successfully beat Donald Trump in 2020. “But can he beat DeSantis?” Fineman interjects, confirming Day’s fear that the prospect of Biden running again is indeed scary.
It would be remiss if it didn’t mention Biden’s age, as the trailer cuts to another terrified Democrat (Punkie Johnson) doing the math of how old Biden would be in 2024 — and the answer (81) sends her into a frenzy.
Their friends — played by Johnson, Bowen Yang and Heidi Gardner – join the distraught couple, with Fineman attempting to be the comforting voice of reason by listing Biden’s accomplishments since he took office — student debt relief, holding NATO together and the infrastructure bill. But her efforts are subsequently squashed by the pain her friends and partner feel as they watch Biden fall off his bike in a video captured in June.
“AHH!” they scream in unison.
Suddenly the night takes a turn when Gardner scans her phone and shares a report that Biden is not actually going to run, but just wants to present a “united front” before the midterms. Despite the immediate relief, an even spookier possibility comes to mind: who is going to run if Biden isn’t?
The group starts listing off potential candidates — Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg — all of which are received with a shrieking “Wake up!,” “Listen to yourself!” or a violent shaking of shoulders. They all begin to spiral when they hear a knock at the door which presents its own scary news: Beto O’Rourke is running for president.
The night slips into full horror territory when the word “Bernie” appears in bloody letters dripping down a wall, and Day suggests in a calm, monotone voice, “I have the perfect candidate. A superstar who can go all the way – Hillary (Clinton),” as he transforms into a “Smile” villain.
Convinced they are doomed, the friends return to Biden as the safest bet for 2024, as the credits for “2020: Part Two” roll.
Check out the entire sketch at the top.
