“Hello and welcome to the second and worst ever presidential debate. Now, let’s get this nightmare started!” – With these words, the Saturday Night Live versions of moderators Anderson Cooper and Martha Raddatz opened the infamous sketch show’s parody of the second presidential debate. A parody which once again featured Kate McKinnon’s excitable but robotic Hillary Clinton and Alec Baldwin’s boorish Donald Trump. For eight minutes, SNL showed us once again just how unprecedentedly ridiculous this election has been thus far.
While he kept quiet after the first time Baldwin took the stage as him, Trump was not amused last weekend. He lashed out at the show by tweeting that he had found the sketch to be “boring and unfunny”, saying that Baldwin’s impersonation “stinks” and suggesting both the cancellation of the show and once again claiming the media are rigged against him. Cut back to two weeks earlier, after the show’s parody of the first debate. Clinton was asked how she felt about her portrayal – for one, she came in with a stroller – and stated that McKinnon’s performance was “amazing”.
These responses give us great insight into the way both candidates deal with the media. By reacting positively and showing a sense of humor and self-mockery, Clinton chose the better of the two options, at least according to scientific literature. One study found that having a positive attitude towards parodies and participating in self-deprecating humor will work in favour of a presidential candidate. It helps if a candidate is a good sport.
At the same time, Trump’s response to the parody fits within his current anti-mainstream media rhetoric, saying they are all plotting against him and actively root for Clinton, therefore calling the election rigged. He has, in the earlier days of his campaign, denied media access to events, but as of late he’s on a crusade. It seems conveniently connected to his decline in the polls. Highly regarded polling and statistics aggregate FiveThirtyEight has Clinton’s chance of winning at around 87 procent.
Trump’s SNL criticism is especially odd. Because this is a man who has appeared as a guest host multiple times over the last few decades. In fact, he notoriously hosted during the Republican primaries, leading to great controversy for the show. The Trump episode got some of the best ratings in the history of the show and it was part of the extensive media coverage he received that might’ve just propelled him to win the Republican nomination.
So why this 180? – Perhaps he’s genuinely afraid of the impact of the show. Research shows that during the 2004 election, another entertainment programme that satirizes politics and news, The Daily Show, had an impact on the American electorate. The show covered the Republican candidate more negatively than the Democratic candidate, resulting in viewers feeling more hostile towards the Republican candidate, while attitudes towards the Democratic candidate stayed the same. Another study concluded that this affected viewers with little political knowledge more. A group Trump desperately needs.
Then again, with Trump’s current rhetoric, it could just be that anyone who doesn’t portray him positively, is portraying him dishonestly. And laughing at himself is something he never seems to be able to do anyway.
U.S. Presidential Elections and the Media 