Alec Baldwin Says He Won't Play Donald Trump on 'Saturday Night Live' for Much Longer

published 7 March 2017

Alec Baldwin's Saturday Night Live impression has been a constant source of entertainment while the world around us remains a pretty scary place. Since Baldwin took the gig in March, it's become his most well-known role since Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock. He's even gotten the honor of the president himself calling the impersonation "not funny" and "unwatchable." But that might be short-lived. Baldwin told Extra that he likely won't be doing the impression for much longer, because of the "maliciousness" that's coming from the White House.

"Trump just overwhelmingly lacks any kind of sportsmanship. He remains bitter and angry, and you just want to look at him and you want to go, 'You won!' His policies aside, which you can hate, I thought he would have just relaxed, and said, 'Hey man.'" he said. "There's a style the president has to have, and I think the maliciousness of this White House has people very worried. Which is why I'm not going to do it much longer, by the way, the impersonation. I don't know how much more people can take it."

Baldwin also said he likely won't show up as Trump to the White House Correspondents Dinner, because he doesn't think they want him to, despite popular demand. "If they wanted me to do it, I would probably do it, but I'm not quite sure," he said. "I think they may have a whole other idea."

It's surprising to see Baldwin hinting that he might give up the job of playing Trump, considering how good the role has been for his post-30 Rock career. Baldwin and SNL head Lorne Michaels have received glowing praise for how they've dealt with Trump since last fall. David Letterman said Baldwin deserved the Presidential Medal of Honor for his portrayal of Trump. He's even writing an entire book in his Trump impression. So, what would make Baldwin quit? And what's this maliciousness from the White House he's talking about? Could it just be snotty tweets?

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Megan Friedman is the former managing editor of the Newsroom at Hearst. She's worked at NBC and Time, and is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.