Alec Baldwin claims that SNL asked Trump to make a cameo during his presidency

Alec Baldwin is one of the most celebrated Saturday Night Live hosts of all time. He's on a Mount Rushmore of SNL hosts alongside Steve Martin and Christopher Walken, and part of his appeal was his ability to do impressions.

Baldwin had a knack for becoming other people, and none of his impressions were more notable than Donald Trump. The Oscar nominee played Trump on SNL from 2017 to 2021, and earned a Primetime Emmy for his work. Baldwin's impression was critical, but the actor told Entertainment Weekly that the show actually reached out to Trump during his presidency to make a surprise appearance.

Trump was offered a role in Alec Baldwin's 2017 episode

Baldwin hosted Saturday Night Live in 2017, and he later revealed that the show reached out to the President regarding a cameo. Baldwin's Trump impression had already become famous, and the show thought it would be fun to have the real Trump appear along the guy pretending to be him.

Trump didn't accept the offer. Baldwin admitted he was disappointed by the President's decision:

"When we did the show — when I hosted SNL this season — we asked him to come. We invited him to come, we were so hopeful he would come, but he didn't show up."

Trump has been critical of SNL over the last decade

Donald Trump had hosted SNL twice, in 2004 and 2015, but he'd already taken to criticizing the show via social media in 2017. He blasted Baldwin and the show's writers, claiming that the show had lost its touch. "Just tried watching Saturday Night Live — unwatchable," he wrote in December of 2016. "Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad."

Baldwin's tenure as SNL's Trump has ended, and James Austin Johnson has taken over the mantle. That said, Baldwin has already appeared in season 50 as FOX News anchor Bret Baier. His return was controversial, given the involuntary manslaughter case that was tied to one of his films.