--- title: Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump Tackles Gun Control on 'SNL' description: The actor mocked President Donald Trump's response to the teenage victims of the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting. canonical: https://time.com/5184477/alec-baldwin-donald-trump-gun-control-snl/ author: Alix Langone article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-04T15:44:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T19:30:45.916Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Alec Baldwin as Trump Tackles Gun Control on 'SNL' og:description: Baldwin was back after a recent Twitter spat with the president og:url: https://time.com/5184477/alec-baldwin-donald-trump-gun-control-snl/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb22cb7de3ae19de5/69892986db298750cc25ef54/alec-baldwin-trump-snl-gun-control.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Saturday Night Live - Season 43 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Alec Baldwin as Trump Tackles Gun Control on 'SNL' twitter:description: Baldwin was back after a recent Twitter spat with the president twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb22cb7de3ae19de5/69892986db298750cc25ef54/alec-baldwin-trump-snl-gun-control.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Alec Baldwin as Trump Tackles Gun Control on _SNL_ Following Real-Life Twitter Feud With President ## Video: Alec Baldwin Says Playing Trump On ‘SNL’ Is ‘Agony’ [Watch (HLS stream): Alec Baldwin Says Playing Trump On ‘SNL’ Is ‘Agony’](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lENDYvmY.m3u8) (0:59)  _Published 2018-03-02. Playing President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live seems to be taking its toll on Alec Baldwin._ by [Alix Langone](https://time.com/author/alix-langone/) ## Alix Langone Mar 4, 2018 3:44 PM UTC  Beck Bennett as Vice President Mike Pence, Alec Baldwin as President Donald J. Trump, Cecily Strong as Senator Dianne Feinstein during the "Presidential Address Cold Open" in Studio 8H on Saturday, March 3, 2018 Beck Bennett as Vice President Mike Pence, Alec Baldwin as President Donald J. Trump, Cecily Strong as Senator Dianne Feinstein during the "Presidential Address Cold Open" in Studio 8H on Saturday, March 3, 2018Will Heath - NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images by [Alix Langone](https://time.com/author/alix-langone/) ## Alix Langone Mar 4, 2018 3:44 PM UTC Alec Baldwin reprised his role as President Donald Trump on this weekend’s episode of _Saturday Night Live_, and he didn’t hold back. The actor called out hot-button issues like gun control and the hasty departure of White House Communications Director Hope Hicks. Playing Donald Trump alongside Beck Bennett and Cecily Strong, who impersonated Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Diane Feinstein respectively, Baldwin made light of the president’s response to the latest gun control debate sparked by the Parkland, Fla. shooting during the show’s cold open. “Tonight I am here to bring you a message of healing and a show of unity,” he said, reading off a note card, a move the president received no shortage of criticism for [in real life](http://time.com/5170311/donald-trump-notes-school-shooting-survivors/?iid=sr-link3). “I hear you and I care. Rent ‘Lego Ninjago Movie.’ Sorry, Eric scribbled some notes on there, too.” Baldwin-as-Trump continued: “We have to take a hard look at our mental health, which I have so much of. I have one of the best mentals.” He also joked that the U.S. should consider taking guns away from everyone, “even whites,” and said Feinstein hadn’t been as excited at the prospect of anything since “women were allowed to get jobs.” Not one to miss getting in a jab at [the White House and its staffing disarray](http://time.com/5182741/jared-kushner-hope-hicks-gary-cohn-hr-mcmaster/?iid=sr-link1), Baldwin likened Hope Hicks to Ivanka Trump. “She’s like a daughter to me. So smart, so hot. You know, I hate seeing her go but I love watching her walk away,” he said. “Jared Kushner’s basically the hottest chick left in the place.” The actor’s performance as Donald Trump comes on the heels of [a Twitter fight](http://time.com/5182486/alec-baldwin-twitter-response-trump/?iid=sr-link1) with the actual president himself, who insulted Baldwin’s acting chops, tweeting that his “dying mediocre career was saved by his terrible impersonation of me on SNL.” The NBC variety show, which was on a monthlong hiatus because of the Winter Olympics, was hosted by former NBA player Charles Barkley, with Migos performing as the musical guest. 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