President Trump crashed the Democratic debate and dared the candidates to ‘impeach me ousside’ while Nancy Pelosi delivered him the articles of impeachment as a Christmas gift in Saturday Night Live’s hilarious cold open.
Alec Baldwin made his usual cameo caricaturing the president while the Democratic field of hopefuls battled it out on stage in a spoof of Thursday night’s debate in Los Angeles.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, played by Kate McKinnon, joked that PBS, the network that staged Thursday’s debate, is her ‘safe word.’
McKinnon did double duty for the sketch, appearing toward the end as a demonic Pelosi.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (played by Kate McKinnon on the right) gifts President Trump (portrayed by Alec Baldwin on the left) the articles of impeachment for Christmas
Baldwin’s Trump crashed the Democratic debate and took his place alongside Joe Biden, played on the right by SNL alum Jason Sudeikis
McKinnon also played Senator Elizabeth Warren during the sketch
Senator Bernie Sanders, portrayed by Seinfeld co-creator and former SNL writer Larry David, quipped that he was worried about climate change.
‘Look at me. Are you really surprised that my main concern is the temperature?’ he asked.
‘At my house I have a Sharpie on the thermostat so I know if you move it.’
He added: ‘No matter how hot the Earth gets, I will not wear shorts. I swim in corduroy.’
The sketch took a dig at the dwindling number of minority candidates after the departure from the race of Senator Kamala Harris.
SNL alum Maya Rudolph came back for the cold open to revive her sassy portrayal of Senator Kamala Harris
‘While I’m here, I just want to show you how good you could have had it America… you could have had a bad b***h,’ she said after taking a sip of her cocktail
In real life, Harris dropped out of the Democratic race after her campaign ran out of funding
‘Just like The Bachelor, the further we go, the less diverse it gets,’ remarked the moderator, played by Heidi Gardner.
Speaking of Harris, her doppelganger, Maya Rudolph, also made an uninvited appearance at the debate.
‘While I’m here, I just want to show you how good you could have had it America… you could have had a bad b***h,’ she said after taking a sip of her cocktail.
The line was a reference to a lyric from a song by Lizzo, who was the musical guest in a historic episode hosted by SNL alum Eddie Murphy.
The sketch spoofed the argument during Thursday’s debate between Warren and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
At the debate, the Massachusetts senator hit out at Buttigieg for having a fundraiser at a wine cave in the Napa Valley.
The wine cave is on the grounds of a winery owned by billionaire donors to the Democratic Party.
Another SNL alum, Rachel Dratch, reprised her parody of Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
‘Tonight, my voice will be as solid as my carefully rehearsed Midwestern mom jokes,’ Dratch’s Klobuchar joked
Dratch poked fun at Klobuchar’s penchant to get laughs with jokes
‘I haven’t been to a wine cave,’ McKinnon’s Warren said during the cold open.
‘I haven’t even been to a Filene’s Basement.’
Buttigieg was portrayed by Colin Jost as a boyish, robotic candidate who gets an allowance from his parents and asks for permission from the others to be in ‘attack mode.’
‘Tonight, I will be in attack mode…so long as that’s okay with everyone else,’ Jost’s Buttigieg said.
SNL also poked fun at Andrew Yang, the entrepreneur who remains in the race against the odds.
‘My candidacy will be completely ignored by the media, which is why I’ll conduct the rest of the debate in virtual reality,’ Yang, played by cast newcomer Bowen Yang, said.
Rudolph and David wasn’t the only SNL alum to return for the cold open.
Jason Sudeikis reprised his imitation of former Vice President Joe Biden and Fred Armisen revived his Michael Bloomberg character.
Rachel Dratch returned to do her send-up of Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who has been ridiculed for her penchant of making forced jokes.
‘Tonight, my voice will be as solid as my carefully rehearsed Midwestern mom jokes,’ Dratch’s Klobuchar joked.
Bloomberg crashed the debate even though he did not qualify for the event in real life.