Republican presidential candidate, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, attacked rival President Donald Trump in a surprise appearance during Saturday Night Live’s “cold open” last night. Haley, who trails Trump by nearly 30 points in the latest poll for this month’s South Carolina primary and by nearly 60 points in national polls, was well received by the liberal New York City TV studio audience as she worked out with a Trump character during a nomination campaign. forum opening skit.
The cold open was a mock CNN town hall in South Carolina with Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, being pestered with questions about Taylor Swift and mocking Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) for his support of Trump. The jokes given to “Trump” to read were typical SNL smears, heavily based in “sexism.”
Haley stood up in the town hall audience to ask Trump why he doesn’t want to discuss it. Haley then grilled Trump, saying he “might need a mental competency test,” changing him on E. Jean Carroll’s $83 million verdict, asking whether he needs to borrow money, Trump’s age and asking him about the loss of his home state of New York in the election.
SNL offered Haley the Trump debate she wanted in exchange for her destroying Trump in front of the show’s liberal audience. At the end of the scripted segment, Haley answered a tongue-in-cheek, biting question about her bungled response about slavery in New Hampshire last month that SNL gave her as an opportunity to clean up on national television.
Haley was also gifted the classic “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” line to read.
Haley’s campaign posted a clip of her appearance on the race will be between Trump and Biden in the fall. I had a great time tonight on SNL! I know it’s past Donald’s bedtime, so I’m looking forward to the stream of upset tweets in the morning.”
“I see dead people.” That’s exactly what voters will think if the race takes place between Trump and Biden in the fall.
I had a lot of fun tonight on SNL! Know that Donald’s bedtime is past, so I’m looking forward to the stream of upset tweets in the morning pic.twitter.com/W43LlPOoi2
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 4, 2024
The complete SNL Cold Open:
Haley, 52, has no clear path to the Republican presidential nomination, but she runs the risk of alienating the support she has among older voters with her constant denigration of Trump for his age, 77, and her false comparisons with Joe Biden, who at 81 is clearly in cognitive and physical decline.
Trump has not, as of this writing, responded on Truth Social to Haley’s barbs on SNL.