Here’s how past presidents have reacted to Saturday Night Live

Jimmy Carter

When Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford and took office in 1977, he won not only the election but the honor of being the next Saturday Night Live character. Legendary cast member Dan Aykroyd portrayed President Carter.

It was a much different character trait that Aykroyd zeroed in on compared to Chevy Chase’s Ford. Carter had a reputation as a micromanager and someone who could go on and on about seemingly any topic.

That angle is on display in the clip above as Aykroyd’s Carter takes phone calls on everything from letter sorting machines to how to come down from a bad acid trip. From the reaction of the live audience, it’s clear that this take on Carter hit the mark.

Also different than Chase’s Ford is the fact that Aykroyd is wearing a wig and changing his voice for his Carter character. However the attempt at authenticity is hampered by the fact that Aykroyd declined to shave his mustache off despite Carter not having one.

Carter and his administration didn’t publicly respond to Saturday Night Live‘s take on his presidency. But that wasn’t necessarily out of disapproval. In response to the clip above, Carter speechwriter Hendrik Hertzberg said:

"It wasn’t just that the segment was so admiring of his competence and the depth and breadth of his knowledge. It was also that the segment made Carter out to be knowledgeable about and tolerant of and maybe even experienced with psychedelic drugs."

SNL hasn’t highlighted any qualities of President Trump that could be considered positive. So it’s unlikely that his administration would ever have a quote like this. And rather than taking Carter’s approach of saying nothing, Trump has decided that snapping back at the show is the best policy.