Since its beginning in 1975, Saturday Night Live has excelled at political impressions. They've been around for every Presidential election for decades, not to mention scores of political figures who have come and gone. Sometimes, you get an actor doing an okay impression, but other times, SNL crafts an impression so huge that it becomes a national sensation.
The best impressions are so famous that they can overwhelm the actual political figure being lampooned. Often, these politicians will pop up on SNL to confront their imposter and give them a stamp of approval. Not all of them are top-notch (their various takes on Donald Trump have been tricky), but these rank as the best SNL political impersonations over the last 50 years, and how you can always count on the show to nail some hilarious takes on famous political figures past and present.
Honorable mentions: Dan Aykroyd as Jimmy Carter, Jon Lovitz as Mike Dukakis, Seth Meyers as John Kerry, Jay Pharaoh as Barack Obama, Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump
Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford
To be fair, Chase made no effort to look the slightest bit like Gerald Ford. However, his performance was the first SNL presidential impression, and he gained a big following. He played Ford as a bumbler, constantly tripping over anything, missing cues and more.
He also got laughs playing a debate against Jimmy Carter (Dan Aykroyd), asked a complex question, and replied, "It was my understanding there would be no math involved." Chase lasted only one year on SNL, but his performance of a bumbling Ford followed the real man for a while.
Dan Aykroyd as Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon resigned as President a year before SNL began. However, he remained in the news thanks to the Watergate scandal, with Dan Aykroyd playing him a few times. Aykroyd went wild with Nixon's goofy voice, shaking around and his paranoia leading to his downfall.
A fun skit imagined that the entire Watergate affair was just a joke by Nixon that got out of hand. Many can associate "Tricky Dick" with this fun impression.
Phil Hartman as Ronald Reagan
While a few actors took on the role of Reagan over the years, Phil Hartman's take was generally the best. Hartman played the role well, capturing Reagan's look and distinctive voice. The best sketch was one where Reagan is his usual doddering presence in public with others.
Behind closed doors, he suddenly turns into a Machiavellian genius, easily speaking foreign languages and making huge deals. It was one of the first excellent Presidential impressions to be a winner for fans.
Dana Carvey as George H Bush
This was one of the most iconic impressions ever. Dana Carvey was wonderful as the first President Bush, making his down-home Texas drawl endearing. Before long, his lines of "thousand points of light" and "not gonna-gonna," among others, became quotable to the point people were saying it to the real Bush.
It was a premiere impression from 1988 to 1993, and Carvey appeared as Bush a few more times to mark one of the most beloved presidential impressions on the show.
Dana Carvey as Ross Perot
Carvey also provided another top impression as Ross Perot, the Texas millionaire who ran for President in 1992. Carvey was a riot in the part, making Perot sound like a total nutjob with his rants and bragging about his wealth.
Thanks to camera tricks, Carvey played both Perot and Bush in a debate sketch and reprised it briefly when Perot ran for President again in 1996. Doing double-duty was tough but Carvey made this impression just as wonderful as his Bush.
Phil Hartman and Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton
Phil Hartman was the first to play Bill Clinton from candidate to the start of his Presidential term. He got Clinton down pat from the white hair to the drawl, playing on the guy as a bit of a horndog and loving to eat while still engaging.
When Hartman left the show, Darrell Hammond took up the impression, his Clinton more laid-back and joking with a fun charm. Hammond played the role longer, and some may say better, yet each put a good stamp on the 1990s' famous President.
Darrell Hammond as Al Gore
Besides Clinton, Hammond also did a spin on Vice-President Al Gore. He played Gore as a rather boring figure droning on in a flat voice and often condescending to others. A running gag was people hating having him around and too dull to get behind.
Hammond shone in the part in the 2000 election and some later appearances. Even funnier is when the actual Gore hosted the show and revealed himself to be a very engaging and hilarious guy to make Hammond's impression a bit off the mark yet good.
Chris Farley as Newt Gingrich
In 1994, Newt Gingrich rose to fame leading the "Republican Revolution" that took control of Congress. Chris Farley was the best choice to play him, making Newt a party guy constantly screaming and ending laws and agencies left and right.
Farley showed up at a GOP meeting in 1995 to play the role in front of the real Newt, who loved it. While Gingrich's time in Congress ended up being shorter than expected, Farley's impression of him lived forever.
Will Ferrell as Janet Reno
It would have been easy for Will Ferrell to play Janet Reno as a tough lady. Instead, he took a unique direction for the United States Attorney General. Some skits had Reno, like the Incredible Hulk, smashing through walls and punching anyone in her path.
Better was having her host "Janet Reno's Dance Party," dancing with college kids in a basement setting with occasional appearances by other politicians. Ferrell's hulking take on Reno was a funny one, with the real Reno giving it a stamp of approval.
Norm MacDonald as Bob Dole
Norm MacDonald wasn't the first to play Bob Dole on SNL, but he did it best. The makeup job helped with MacDonald's gravelly voice, capturing Dole's mannerisms down to holding one hand up and always referring to himself in the third person.
He'd do cracks at Dole's age and took off during the 1996 election. After Dole lost, MacDonald complained about no longer doing the impression with the real Dole dropping by to criticize it and show how well MacDonald played the part.
Will Ferrell as George W. Bush
Will Ferrell's take on George W. Bush still ranks as one of the all-time greatest impressions in SNL history, political or otherwise. It shifted over the years, at first really goofy and playing on how dumb Bush was. Events like 9/11 and the Iraq War made it tougher, yet Ferrell still played Bush as a guy who meant well and in over his head while not grasping why folks were against him.
Ferrell's comedic skills were sharp in the part and kept coming back to reprise the role as even those not fans of Bush loved this hilarious impression.
Darrell Hammond as Dick Cheney
Hammond had a fine turn as Bush's Vice-President, aided by a stellar makeup job. He played Cheney as the power behind the throne, often making announcements as "the real President" and just below the level of a Bond villain.
The snarling tone made his lines funnier with a batch of glowering and amped up what folks thought Cheney was to fine comedic effect. As good as Ferrel's Bush was, Hammond's Cheney could often outshine him.
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin
It's as if fate itself gave SNL the perfect impression. When Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCain's running mate in 2008, people were quick to note her similarity to Tina Fey. Naturally, SNL went in that direction with Fey looking so much like Palin that famously Fox News once accidentally used a picture of Fey when talking about the real Palin.
She got the look, the funny lines, portraying Palin as a backwoods lady with a fun drawl and easily the high point of Fey's SNL turns.
Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton
A few ladies have taken on the role of Hillary Clinton yet Amy Poehler's take was one of the best. She played Hillary as bound and determined to become President and aggravated by others while putting on a mock smiling face.
A genius bit was when Clinton lost the 2008 Democratic nomination to Barack Obama so Poehler played her as secretly seething with rage under her smiles. There was also meeting Kate McKinnon's version of Hillary as Poehler's run in the role was basically a trial run for her Parks & Recreation character to make it funnier.
Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden
Before he became President, Joe Biden was Barack Obama's VP and known for some blunders. Jason Sudeikis was a good choice for the role, playing Biden as someone experienced in Congress and brushing off his various gaffes.
It was a fun bit and a great moment when Suedekis returned in 2021 to give now President Biden (James Austin Johnson) advice on being his older self. It's a shame SNL couldn't get Suedekis to return to the part more as he made Biden much cooler than the real-life President.
Larry David as Bernie Sanders
This may have been "stunt casting" but it worked wonderfully. In 2016, Bernie Sanders had been running for President and SNL wanted a name actor to play him. Enter Larry David, whose performance, to be fair, is less a pure impression. It's more as if his Curb Your Enthusiasm character was running for President.
Yet David won folks over and some wild bits like how a skit of Sanders refusing to shake hands cost him an election ended up playing out in real life. David has returned a few times and the real Sanders working with him to compliment this fun impersonation.
Fred Armisen as David Paterson
It's not just national figures that SNL does a fine job impersonating. In 2013, Fred Armisen started popping up on Weekend Update as then-New York governor David Paterson. The big part of the act was that Paterson is legally blind and thus Armisen doing a lot of jokes of him being near-sighted and bumbling while also insulting anyone from New Jersey.
It may have seemed a bit insulting, except the real Paterson popped up to mock the impression and gave a nice capper to a fun turn for New York's governor.
Bowen Yang as George Santos
A recent hit impression has been Bowen Yang's performance as George Santos, the Republican congressman whose tenure ended when he was expelled after lying about most of his background. Already an SNL favorite, Yang was brilliant in the part with Santos claiming to be a victim while continuing to spin ludicrous tall tales of his supposed accomplishments.
He capped the whole thing off with a song and dance routine he claimed to have written himself. Santos' Congressional run was short, but Yang's impression of him will live forever.
Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris
It's always great when a big political figure just happens to resemble an SNL star. When Kamala Harris was among those running for President in 2019, SNL got Maya Rudolph to return to the show to play her. When Harris became Joe Biden's running mate, Rudolph returned, playing the part of a fun-loving Kamala who would dance to hip-hop music.
To no shock, Rudolph returned to the show in 2024 as Harris became the Presidential nominee to make the role broader. If Harris ends up becoming President, Rudolph may play the part longer yet as it stands made this a classic impression.
Kate McKinnon as Anyone
It's impossible to pick any Kate McKinnon political impression as she was a master at so many roles. The biggest, of course, is her Hillary Clinton, playing her a bit power-hungry but still funny to win over audiences with the emotional piano number when Clinton lost the 2020 election.
There's also Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the Supreme Court Justice dispensed witty lines and observations; General Attorney Jeff Sessions; Senator Lindsey Graham, Elizabeth Warren, Robert Mueller, KellyAnne Conway, Nancy Pelosi, Angela Merkel, Rudy Guiliani and more. In any part, McKinnon aped her persona perfectly and why she remains one of the all-time greatest SNL performers.