preview

Saturday Night Live Analysis

Decent Essays

The television show Saturday Night Live is known for mocking presidents. In the 1970s Chevy Chase impersonated President Gerald Ford. More recently Alec Baldwin has been targeting President Donald Trump, during both his campaign and after the election. Earlier this year, Baldwin was seen poking fun at Trump’s lack of impulse control. Ironically, Trump tweeted during the show saying, “Just tried watching Saturday Night Live - unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can’t get any worse.” Political satirization is often present on Saturday Night Live especially involving President Trump. Baldwin portrays Trump as pugnacious and confused about the power he now possesses. Before his election, Trump’s campaign …show more content…

Those who opposed Jackson made political cartoons that mocked him such as The Political Barbeque and King Andrew the First. The Political Barbeque by Henry R. Jackson, insulted Jackson for his vetoing of the charter for the Bank of the United States. Both Robinson and Saturday Night Live are mocking political figures using humor and exaggeration. The Political Barbeque refers to the idea of Jackson rejecting the Bank of the United States and the controversy surrounding Jackson's removal of federal deposits. In reaction to this, Robinson created this political cartoon insulting Jackson by placing his head on the body of pig. He also depicted Jackson roasting over the fires of public opinion which conveyed the idea that the general public was against Jackson. In addition, the cartoon titled King Andrew the First mimics Jackson by placing him in a king’s outfit. The illustrator most likely wanted to express that Jackson put himself in a high position, like a King, especially when he passed the order in 1833 to remove federal deposits from the Bank of the United States. Political satire is present in both Baldwin’s impersonation of Trump on Saturday Night Live and in the cartoon’s portraying Andrew Jackson. Throughout history and today when controversy surrounds U.S. presidents, political satire

Get Access