Sean Spicer, a noted fan of The Onion, apparently enjoys Saturday Night Live more than his boss. When asked about Melissa McCarthy’s impression of him, Spicer did not take the vitriolic tone Donald Trump usually has when talking about the show. Instead, he told Fox it was “cute,” adding: “It’s funny.”
“Cute” is an annoyingly belittling comment, as is his assertion in an interview with Extra (via Vulture) that McCarthy ”could dial back” her performance. The gum-swallower also suggested that McCarthy “needs to slow down on the gum chewing; way too many pieces in there.” Still, given his relative tolerance, we can’t help but wonder how close a read Spicer is doing on the sketch. After all, McCarthy’s Spicer was equally as savage as Baldwin’s Trump, and he did seem to miss The Onion’s punchline that one time.
But Spicer is keeping the party line when it comes to Baldwin, telling Extra that “Alec has gone from funny to mean.” Despite Kristen Stewart’s monologue about Trump’s bizarre fixation on her and a cold open that cast Steve Bannon as the Grim Reaper, Trump somehow resisted tweeting about Saturday’s episode. Perhaps he was just saving his energies for when Baldwin hosts.