Between 2016 and 2020, Alec Baldwin portrayed President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live. Surprisingly, he may have had an unexpected admirer—Melania Trump. During an event at the 92nd Street Y, Baldwin, 66, claimed that Melania appreciated his impersonation of her husband because of its accuracy.
According to Baldwin, former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer revealed this at the Emmys. “Spicer—maybe he had a few drinks, I don’t know; I wasn’t there,” Baldwin recounted, as reported by OK! Magazine. “He told the people at SNL, ‘Melania watches the show every Saturday night.’”
Baldwin insists that Melania found his portrayal of Trump spot-on. Allegedly, Spicer once quoted her as saying, “She points at the TV and says, ‘That’s what he’s like! That is exactly what he’s like! Alec Baldwin is just like Donald!’”
If true, this suggests a contrast in opinion between Melania and Donald Trump regarding Baldwin’s portrayal. While Melania may have enjoyed the performance, the former president often took to social media to criticize it.
At one point, he described the show as “boring and unfunny.” On another occasion, he directed his criticism at Alec specifically. “Just tried watching Saturday Night Live — unwatchable!” he wrote, per Page Six. “Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can’t get any worse. Sad.”
In another post, Trump mentioned “retribution” and said the way he was portrayed was “very unfair and should be looked into.”
Later, Alec took to social media to share that he was concerned for his safety. “I wonder if a sitting President exhorting his followers that my role in a TV comedy qualifies me as an enemy of the people constitutes a threat to my safety and that of my family?” he wrote at the time, per The Guardian.
While it’s unclear whether Melania truly loved Alec’s impersonation, many people who watched SNL thought it was quite accurate.
In 2017, Alec explained a strategy he used to make the act more convincing. “We always default to [using adjectives like] ‘fantastic,’ ‘amazing,’ ‘terrific,’” Alec explained at the time. “He never comes up with anything stronger or clearer … He’s not a great thinker. He demonstrates that over and over again. It’s kind of harrowing, actually.”
