From John F. Kennedy to Donald Trump, an evolution of U.S. presidential satire
Originally published on Feb. 26, 2019
Alec Baldwin's impression of U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live has become hugely popular, much of which is thanks to the president himself.
President Trump often tweets about SNL to share his thoughts on Baldwin's performance, or what he sees as the show's bias.
Nothing funny about tired Saturday Night Live on Fake News NBC! Question is, how do the Networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution? Likewise for many other shows? Very unfair and should be looked into. This is the real Collusion!
—@realDonaldTrumpTrump isn't the first president to be lampooned on SNL or other comedy programs, but he's certainly handled the ribbing differently than his predecessors, whether it was a bumbling Gerald Ford played by Chevy Chase or a word-inventing George W. Bush by Will Ferrell.
We asked comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff to walk us through the evolution of presidential satire and share how this tradition has changed in the Trump era.
Watch some of those skits below.
WATCH | Vaughn Meader as John F. Kennedy
WATCH | Dan Aykroyd as Jimmy Carter
WATCH | Dana Carvey as George H. W. Bush
— Produced by Ben Jamieson