--- title: Best Political Impressions of 2017: Sean Spicer, Donald Trump description: TIME ranks the best new political impressions of 2017. canonical: https://time.com/4813512/best-political-impressions-2017/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-10T13:34:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-17T15:31:00.000Z og:title: Ranking the 11 Best Political Impressions of 2017 og:description: From Melissa McCarthy's Sean Spicer to Stephen Colbert's new character og:url: https://time.com/4813512/best-political-impressions-2017/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6409f5699fff5cfc/6988cd44cd1bba73d1705301/melissa-mccarthy-sean-spicer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Saturday Night Live - Season 42 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ranking the 11 Best Political Impressions of 2017 twitter:description: From Melissa McCarthy's Sean Spicer to Stephen Colbert's new character twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6409f5699fff5cfc/6988cd44cd1bba73d1705301/melissa-mccarthy-sean-spicer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch the 11 Best Political Impressions of 2017 So Far by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Updated: Jan 17, 2024 3:31 PM UTCPublished: Aug 10, 2017 1:34 PM UTC  Melissa McCarthy as Press Secretary Sean Spicer during the 'Sean Spicer Press Conference Cold Open' on Feb. 11, 2017. Melissa McCarthy as Press Secretary Sean Spicer during the 'Sean Spicer Press Conference Cold Open' on Feb. 11, 2017.Will Heath—NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Updated: Jan 17, 2024 3:31 PM UTCPublished: Aug 10, 2017 1:34 PM UTC A [good political impression](http://time.com/4451557/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-impressions/) requires more than just channeling a person’s voice and facial ticks. Comedians have to [dig deep](http://time.com/4755801/trump-impression-on-daily-show/) to communicate the essence of their subject. But since the Trump Administration came into office, news from the executive branch has kept them gainfully employed. From [Melissa McCarthy’s unhinged Sean Spicer](http://time.com/4779172/saturday-night-live-melissa-mccarthy-almost-not-sean-spicer/?xid=homepage) to [Stephen Colbert’s brand-new conservative host](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/), late-night television delivered some essential viewing this year, and we’re about to get more. Weekend Update, which many view as the face of _Saturday Night Live_, is heading to primetime. Co-anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost return to the desk segment for a weekly half-hour spinoff series _Weekend Update: Summer Edition_ on Thursday at 9 p.m. on NBC ahead of _SNL’s_ big return in the fall. Hopefully stars like McCarthy will swing by to bring back some of their White House characters — and debut some new ones. So with that in mind, TIME has ranked the ten best political impressions to debut on late night in 2017 so far. ### 11\. **Jimmy Fallon as Jared Kushner on** **_Saturday Night Live_** The distinguished _SNL_ vet played the President’s son-in-law as adorably shy opposite Steve Bannon’s terrifying Grim Reaper (Mikey Day) in the _Apprentice_\-style sketch. There was no denying Fallon looked the part as the decidedly silent senior counselor. **Best moment:** Entering the Oval Office to “You’re Unbelievable” in preppy war zone attire. ### 10\. **Bill Hader as Anthony Scaramucci on** **_Weekend Update: Summer Edition_** People miss Bill Hader’s masterful _SNL_ characters more than they miss “The Mooch,” but fans were glad to see the MVP show up to play a bizarre caricature of the former communications director. Instead of mining the underlying absurdities of Scaramucci’s antics, Hader’s take made the greatest Mooch hits sing with punchlines that hit the mark. **Best Moment:** Rattling off the three biggest sacrifices he made, “all to be king of idiot mountain for eleven days.” ### 9\. **Mario Cantone as Anthony Scaramucci on** **_The President Show_** The _Sex and the City_ actor proved he born to fill Scaramucci’s shoes when he aced the communications director’s hand gestures and ramped up the ferocious factor. In real life, The Mooch’s unfiltered approach to his gig may have gotten him axed after just ten days, but _The President Show_ gave him a [memorable sendoff](http://time.com/4887494/mario-cantone-scaramucci/) when “Trump” kissed him goodbye. **Best moment:** When Anthony Atamanuik’s POTUS and Cantone played a hilarious copycat game. ### 8\. **Stephen Colbert’s Alex Jones-like conspiracy theorist persona Tuck Buckford on** **_The Late Show_** This year, Colbert ratcheted up his fearless takedown of conspiracy theorist radio host Alex Jones with a new character named Tuck Buckford — a red-faced macho man with a show called Brain Fight. Colbert’s slightly more extreme take on the extremist personality’s endless shouting had enough pop culture-themed conspiracy theories to keep the audience laughing. **Best moment:** Letting the sketch descend into madness as he mocked the [Chobani lawsuit](http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-chobani-alex-jones-20170517-story.html) by spreading yogurt on his head to keep the Clinton Foundation from reading his mind. **MORE:** [The 9 Greatest Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Impressions of All Time](http://time.com/4451557/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-impressions/) ### 7\. **Peter Grosz’s Vice President Mike Pence on** **_The President Show_** The _Veep_ actor was in top form while making his Pence have calibrated breakdowns. The way he spiced up the most vanilla lines with hints that he’s always had eyes on the presidency made this one a home run. **Best moment:** Infiltrating the pride parade to “make America straight again” and having a ball failing at it gave us a delightfully bizarre visual. ### 6\. **Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka Trump on** **_Saturday Night Live_** Gliding through this eerie fake perfume commercial, Johansson mastered the perpetually smooth First Daughter’s poise. By transporting us into a world of luxury, one full of judgmental glares and gold, the [viral sketch made a splash](http://time.com/4699577/complicit-definition-snl-ivanka-trump/). Admirably, Johansson had to be aloof but not alienating, and she nailed it. **Best moment:** When she pursed her lips to apply lipstick in a mirror, only to reveal her dad in the reflection. ### 5\. **Diane Kruger’s Kellyanne Conway in** **_Funny Or Die’s_** **The Kellyanne Conway Story** It didn’t happen on late-night TV, but it’s impossible to exclude. Diane Kruger’s impression doesn’t mimic her distinctive voice. But that doesn’t matter. The best way to enjoy this one is to watch her fame-hungry eyes and follow Conway in the fast lane to moral destruction in this damning take. **Best moment:** Getting revved up as she feasts on greasy fast food with Chris Meloni’s “Trump” and prepares to wholeheartedly embrace some alternative facts — all “for America.” ### 4\. **Maya Rudolph’s Ivanka Trump on** **_Late Night With Seth Meyers_** The _Saturday Night Live_ vet is known for her expressive vocal work. After all, singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton was her mom. That’s why, when tackling an Ivanka Trump impression, she didn’t even need a costume to make it work. **Best moment:** Channeling the First Daughter’s tone and eyebrow ticks, Rudolph revealed Ivanka’s uncanny ability to talk through her teeth at just above a whisper. ### 3\. **Kate McKinnon’s Jeff Sessions on** **_Saturday Night Live_** McKinnon has been in character overdrive with [Hillary Clinton](http://time.com/4065217/hillary-clinton-kate-mckinnon/) and [Kellyanne Conway](http://time.com/4650703/kellyanne-conway-kate-mckinnon-snl/) since the 2016 election, but her silliest target was Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Exaggerating her character’s story-shifting with a spot-on drawl and a curled mouth, she served every line with boyish caught-in-cookie jar charm. **Best moment:** When she waltzed her way through political satire packaged as a _Forest Gump_ mashup an said: “Yeah, I had a bad week.” ### 2\. **Anthony Atamanuik’s President Donald Trump character on Comedy Central’s** **_The President Show_** When the ultra-dedicated Atamanuik unleashed his dark character in a new context with his own late-night show, he had already set a high bar for inspired satire with his [Trump v. Bernie tour](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Poi5x0E2CM). But he cleared it every night with impressive vocal work and a cutting exploration of the President’s psyche that skewered the big picture. **Best moment:** Throwing a tantrum after his classroom visit for a “Presidential Distraction Photo Op With Cute Kids.” ### 1\. **Melissa McCarthy’s Sean Spicer on** **_Saturday Night Live_** Every time the Groundlings alum [waltzes into a _SNL_ sketch](http://time.com/4766187/best-late-night-moments-2017-so-far/), she reliably gets the biggest laughs. But it was her firm grip on her in-your-face Sean Spicer character that gave viewers the catharsis they needed. With pitbull energy and dagger eyes, she could have raged along on the offensive via [motorized podium](http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/watch-melissa-mccarthy-sean-spicer-zooming-streets-manhattan/story?id=47371095) forever, and we would have kept watching. Spicer [resigned from the role](http://time.com/4868546/sean-spicer-resigns-anthony-scaramucci-donald-trump/) that made him a household name in July, but we’ll always have McCarthy’s portrait. It even helped her earn an [Emmy nomination](http://time.com/4854403/emmy-nominations-2017/) for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series. **Best moment:** Water gunning the hell out of some truth seekers. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4813512/best-political-impressions-2017/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4813512/best-political-impressions-2017/"},"headline":"Watch the 11 Best Political Impressions of 2017 So Far","datePublished":"2017-08-10T13:34:10.000Z","dateModified":"2024-01-17T15:31:00.000Z","description":"TIME ranks the best new political impressions of 2017.","url":"https://time.com/4813512/best-political-impressions-2017/","keywords":["Newsfeed","politics","Comedy","Saturday Night Live","stephen colbert","entertainment","Late Night Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6409f5699fff5cfc/6988cd44cd1bba73d1705301/melissa-mccarthy-sean-spicer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ashley Hoffman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6409f5699fff5cfc/6988cd44cd1bba73d1705301/melissa-mccarthy-sean-spicer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Saturday Night Live - Season 42","caption":"Saturday Night Live - Season 42","creditText":"Will Heath—NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4813512/best-political-impressions-2017/","name":"Watch the 11 Best Political Impressions of 2017 So Far"}}]}] ```