U.S. President Donald Trump has been accused by some critics of using missile strikes on Syria to distract from domestic American issues, and this week’s Saturday Night Live duly set about slamming the president, played once again by Alec Baldwin, for being out of touch with the concerns of regular folks.
The segment depicts Trump attending a town hall in Kentucky, where he fields questions from working-class Americans concerned about jobs, healthcare and child support. But he instead chooses to keep bringing up Syria to avoid offering concrete solutions to kitchen table issues.
“I just had an amazing week folks. I met with leaders from China, Egypt and Jordan. Gorsuch was confirmed, the media is saying nice things and no one is talking about Russia,” Trump says in his opening remarks.
“What a difference just 59 Tomahawk missiles can make.”
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Trump then says that he’d like to take questions from the audience.
“Let me hear from you,” he says, pointing to an audience member. “Do you like that I bombed Syria?
“I sure do sir, but I wanted to talk about my job.,” the man in the audience says. “I recently got laid off from a coal mining plant.”
“God I love coal!” Trump responds, before assuring the man that “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you people work in coal for the rest of your lives.”
When the man protests that he’s not particular about working in the coal industry but simply wants a good job, Trump responds, “In Trump’s America, men work in two places — coal mines and Goldman Sachs.”
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Trump then tries to prompt another audience member into talking about Syria, but the man instead expresses concern over his healthcare plan.
The president tells the man not to worry, saying that “we’re going to get rid of it” — “it” meaning healthcare — altogether.
Another Trump supporter worries that his wife refuses to move house because she won’t be able to attend her federally sponsored rehab program for painkiller addiction.
“It’s the exact problem I have, my wife doesn’t want to move either,” Trump responds. “So she lives two miles away, it’s costing the federal government millions of dollars, it’s nuts am I right? But she says she loves her own bed.”
Trump then says he’ll “junk” federal rehab altogether. The audience member appears confused, but pledges his loyalty to the president anyway.
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It’s at this point that Baldwin’s Trump offers the most cutting line of the segment, ridiculing those Trump supporters who stubbornly continue to back the president even though he’s not doing anything to improve their lives.
“It’s like you found a finger in your chili, but you still eat the chili because you told everyone how much you love chili. It’s tremendous.”
A woman in the audience then rails off concerns about child care, her minimum wage and her mortgage, to which Trump says that he’ll simply “junk” child care, the minimum wage and her house so she doesn’t have to worry anymore.
Somewhat concerned and confused, the woman still professes her loyalty to Trump, pumping her first and exclaiming, “You’re my president!”
Pleased with his supporters’ unconditional support, Trump bids goodbye to the audience, but not before offering one last nugget of advice — “Keep eating that finger chili.”
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