Alec Baldwin, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter previewing his forthcoming talk show on ABC, said portraying President Donald Trump has become “agony” and that he plans to dedicate himself to opposing the president in the upcoming elections. | Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo
President Donald Trump lashed out Friday morning at Alec Baldwin, the actor who has famously played him on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” since the fall of 2016, writing online in a typo-laden post that watching his performances was “agony” for audiences.
“Alex Baldwin, whose dieing mediocre career was saved by his impersonation of me on SNL, now says playing DJT was agony for him,” the president wrote online. “Alex, it was also agony for those who were forced to watch. You were terrible. Bring back Darrell Hammond, much funnier and a far greater talent!”
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Trump soon after deleted that tweet and replaced it with one that corrected the typos and slightly changed the language.
Baldwin, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter previewing his forthcoming talk show on ABC, did indeed say portraying Trump has become “agony” and that he plans to dedicate himself to opposing the president in the upcoming elections. “If things don’t go in the right direction for the midterms. … I could go out on the street, stand on any corner and tap 10 people on the shoulder. And all 10 of them, in all likelihood, would be more qualified — ethically, morally, intellectually and spiritually — than Trump.”
“I’ll vote for Mitt Romney. I don’t care. Anybody over this guy. It doesn’t matter. We have to get rid of him. And that’s another project I’m working on,” the famously liberal Baldwin continued. “My wife and I agreed that we’re gonna give it everything we have. And then if, God forbid, he wins again in 2020, I’m wondering can I host a game show in Spain.”
Baldwin’s impersonation of Trump, received as a revelation when he debuted it on the first episode of SNL’s 2016-17 season, portrays the president as meaner and more incompetent than crafty and sometimes slimy impersonation of longtime SNL cast member Darrell Hammond, who played Trump on the show for years. Hammond has said in interviews that he was devastated to have been replaced as Trump.
In addition to serving as a regular SNL host and presidential impressionist, Baldwin’s career has earned him two Emmy awards and three Golden Globes. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2003.
And while the president has complained of late about his treatment on SNL, he has previously said that he is a fan of the show. The president, then a GOP primary candidate, hosted the show in November, 2015.
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