Here’s how past presidents have reacted to Saturday Night Live
By Matt Moore
George H.W. Bush
If President Donald Trump has had the worst response to Saturday Night Live, then President George H.W. Bush may have had the best. Despite being in office for only one term, his depictions on SNL are among the best when it comes to the show’s political sketches.
Bush was played by master of impressions Dana Carvey. Like any good impersonator, Carvey played up Bush’s accent and found a catchphrase in “not gonna do it, wouldn’t be prudent.” Now how many times Bush actually said that is debatable, but what’s not is how it became synonymous with the president.
The president seemingly took no issue with Carvey or how SNL depicted him. Carvey and Bush appeared together on screen multiple times and at public events. In fact the two became friends and remained that way until President Bush’s passing in 2018.
Again, it is pretty much guaranteed that President Trump will never return to Saturday Night Live. It is also a safe bet that he and Alec Baldwin will never develop a friendship like Carvey and Bush.
If Trump didn’t want to go the route of Carter and Reagan and remain silent on SNL, he could have followed Bush and embraced the Baldwin’s character. But the SNL version isn’t flattering and it’s not Trump’s personality to ever laugh at himself. He’s not gonna do it.