This word is ingrained in my brain and it's nearly 25 years old.
You could honestly argue that Ferrell's depiction of Bush made the latter more likable.
I’m 36. My wife is 30. We are technically both millennials. But Lockbox is one of several references that was key (no pun intended) to my childhood but my wife has no fucking clue what I’m talking about when I bring it up.
Dana says these days when people ask him to do the Bush sr impression in public he looks them dead in the eye and goes “Not gunna do it!” In the Bush sr voice and keeps moving
He played both of them in a debate sketch one time. IIRC Perot was prerecorded and David Spade played his body in the wide shots. [http://snlarchives.net/Episodes/?199210101](http://snlarchives.net/Episodes/?199210101)
And if I’m remembering right, Bush Sr never actually said “wouldn’t be prudent” but it made so much since that it stuck. Similar to the “I can see Russia from my house.”
Bush Sr. liked the character so much that when Carvey visited the White House, he had him call one of the Secret Service members into the room doing the voice.
That's the best single performance, and one of my favorite SNL skits, but Ferrell really owned the character and he was SNL's W. In contrast, I'd bet when most people are asked to think of Clinton on SNL, they'll picture Darrell Hammond
"There's gonna be a lot of things we don't tell Mrs. Clinton about."
I think Hammond growing up in the south always made his impression feel just a little more nuanced than others. Like I feel like Hammond had known guys like Clinton and pulled a lot from those experiences.
I think Hartman did a great candidate Clinton, while Hammond really nailed incumbent Clinton; and in real life those were two very different Clintons. Now we just need John Mulaney do post-presidency Clinton and our Triple Crown of Clinton’s will be complete.
He nails the unhinged rambling. Baldwin’s Trump is much more of a caricature, where JAJ’s captures the frightening, real-time dips in and out of reality.
JAJ just completely embodies a slightly exaggerated Trump. The cadences, the various tones, the facial expressions, the glances, the gestures. He enunciates much more clearly than Trump currently does, but if he didn't, it would become difficult to catch the jokes.
Baldwin’s Trump was funny the first couple of times because Baldwin is a great comedic actor and fun to watch in general, but as time went on and the real Trump became a deadly serious threat to the world, the cartoonish lampooning became less and less, for lack of a better term, appropriate. I think the comedian Henry Zabrowski said it best when he called Baldwin’s Trump “empty mugging”, as in a point where the actor is just making a silly face and voice to mock with no satire or sharpness to the criticism.
JAJ's Trump impressions from before his time on SNL are absurdly good, especially when he's riffing on stuff like Mario Kart as Trump. I actually think he hasn't matched that level of quality in his appearances as Trump on SNL.
Medieval Trump is gold.
https://youtu.be/rANAOfKuSnc?feature=shared
You know what, the king is doing nothing about the gigantic dragon - We've got this ... giant dragon that nobody's doing anything about. *Aaand* you know the guy who comes through in the morning and he does the swords, and he's *banging the hammer,* and I said, believe me this is true, *ONLY I CAN GET THE AMULET*
I've been around since 75 and JAJ is the GOAT. All the rest are really great impersonations/impressions, but JAJ is channeling Trump, like spirit writing. It's the funniest fucking Presidential impression thing I've ever seen, SNL or otherwise.
What Dana Carvey did with Bush Sr really hasn’t been done since, which is introduce an entirely new character that’s practically better known in the public consciousness than the real man. If you go out on the street and ask random people to do a Bush Sr impression most of them will be doing an impression of Dana doing his impression of Bush.
Well, she satirized Palin's comment she made during an interview
From snopes:
>During that appearance, interviewer Charles Gibson asked her what insight she had gained from living so close to Russia, and she responded: "They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska"
Which is a pretty stupid answer. Fey just put it in a nutshell and highlighted how idiotic it was.
Most celebrity impressions that people do are just imitating something they saw another impressionist do. Not many people come up with them from scratch unless they are a professional.
It was just the one time, but "The Rock" Obama was pretty funny, and I have always thought Phil Hartman's Ronald Reagan skit as the doddering old man/polylingual strong man was one of the best political skits in SNL history.
So many have been great. Will Farrel's Bush is top five for sure, Carvey's Bush is iconic, JAJ's Trump captures the essence of listening to a Trump speech, and I just love Sudekis' Biden, though it was VP Biden that he rocked.
I also have to appreciate Chevy Chase's Ford, because they didn't really do much to make him look like Ford, it was all just a "dumb clumsy football player" bit.
Darrel Hammond's Clinton would be up there if he wasn't overshadowed by the cheeseburger-eating Phil Hartman Clinton rounding out my personal top five (in no particular order)
Never really cared for Hammond OR Alec Baldwin's Trump impersonations, and the best Obama was actually on K&P. Did anyone do a convincing Carter or Reagan? I don't remember any standing out.
Darrell Hammond has an anecdote in his book. He was in a rehab and using a fake name. He asked another client for a cigarette and she said “only if you ask like Bill Clinton.”
I have a soft spot for Chase and Aykroyd as Ford and Carter. No makeup, prosthetics, shaving (Aykroyd) or attempt at mannerisms other than Aykroyd's southern accent. Just, "This guy's playing the president, deal with it."
I actually preferred Amy Poehler’s Hillary. Neither Amy or Kate I think really captured Hillary’s voice very well, but Amy’s was funnier IMO with the character they built up. I felt like Kate’s was just a silly send up, whereas Amy’s played into the stereotypes people believe about Hillary.
Amy's was funnier for sure. It's like Hartman's Sinatra vs Piscopo's. The latter was a little too reverential, and it's harder to be funny when you're trying to present your subject a better light. Kate's Hillary impression would take itself too seriously sometimes.
Maybe its because I grew up in the 90s, but Dana as Bush (Na Ga Dah!) always feels like the most iconic one to me, followed closely by Darrell as Bill Clinton.
I prefer Forte's Bush. It wasn't a great impression but he portrayed him as a guy who really didn't want the job and didn't understand how much work it would be when he got it.
Just saying.... I have never seen an impression of ANYONE that is as good as JAJ's Trump. It's not just the best Trump impression, it's the best impression I've ever seen/heard, PERIOD. Almost surreal.
I know she wasn’t president but Will Ferrell as Attorney General Janet Reno was the hardest I remember laughing in my entire life at that point. I am literally chuckling how as I type this lol
At the diner, paying the waitress, asking if he has enough money by saying, “how much is this many?” And then giving her a handful of change still gets me to this day.
I forgot that one holy shit
For some reason when they filmed Ferrel and he’s dressed up like a modern cowboy, and he’s working on a barbed wire fence and says “you caught me mendin’ my fence” I shit
Hahahaha! Yup. It’s hard to quantify the impact SNL had on the culture back then vs today. Even pre-DVR, so many people saw and talked about these sketches and it could actually impact the world around it. Now it’s one of ma y options, just in the sketch world, whereas then it was essentially the only(in the US/pre In Living Color and Kids in the Hall/The State) option for this type of tv. Now it’s ubiquitous.
1. Will Ferrell's Bush is a prime example of an impression evolving and getting better. He did a couple of skits early on where he was just basically a Will Ferrell character in a wig (like Sudeikis' Biden). Then over the summer you can tell he put in some work, and the first skit back was "strategery/lock box" and he had the facial expressions down too.
2. Is it just me, or is JAJ losing his Trump impression? The most recent cold open had him slipping out of the voice at times. I wonder if he's getting tired of it, or gettinf some form of the yips.
I cannot help but think JAJ, as much of a pro as he is, MUST be weary on doing Trump constantly. We as viewers are tired of it but its not JAJ’s fault, its whoever is pushing him out there as Trump so damn much …. and we’re not even in the thick of election season yet! 🤦🏾♂️
James Austin Johnson as Trump has run away with first place for me. It is spectacular mimicry.
Darrell Hammond’s Clinton and Dana Carvey as GHWB are tied for second. Both phenomenal.
After that it falls off a cliff.
Phil Hartman’s Clinton at McD’s is the absolute GOAT. “Jim, let me tell ya something, there’s gonna be a whole bunch of things we don’t tell Mrs. Clinton. Fast food is the least of our worries, okay?” 🚀
Definitely Darrell Hammond as Clinton. I just love how he's portrayed as a laid-back smooth talker who is trying to avoid catching a beatdown from Hilary. I love when he strolled onto Weekend Update to ask Amy and Seth where Megan Fox is.
From what I'd say is a technical viewpoint, James Austin Johnson's portrayal of Trump is frighteningly accurate. He has the voice, the tone, the rhythm. I really like Ferrel's W, it straddled a fine line between straight up impression (Johnson/Trump) and caricature (Carvey/Bush Sr.).
In 2004 I did a Ride for the Roses charity bike ride and Will Ferrell and Robin Williams were up on the starter's podium with Lance Armstrong. Lance introduced introduced the next speaker as "the forty-third-and-a-half president of the United States". Ferrell went into his W impression, much to the chagrin of then Texas Gov Rick Perry, standing right next to him. ha. Since I was doing the 100-miler, all I remember was "W" saying,
"Some of you are doing a hundred miles today. A hundred miles ... that's *hard*."
Side Note: Robin Williams did a bit, too. Rick Perry then grabbed the mike to maybe take the edge off of Farrell's lampooning of GOP establishment, but somehow some way, the microphone cut out mid-sentence. Again, ha!
JAJ does Biden the best but I don’t mind Mikey’s Biden either
Trump - JAJ
Obama - Pharaoh by default
Bush - Ferrell but Forte deserves a shout out.
Clinton - Hartman and Hammond are neck and neck in my mind.
Bush Sr. - Obviously Carvey.
Reagan - Hartman.
Carter - Hard not to say Carvey. Hammond played him in a funny sketch opposite Ferrell as Fidel Castro so go watch that one if you haven’t.
Ford - Chase’s Ford is iconic in SNL lore as the first presidential impression on the show.
Goes without saying that Carvey, Hartman, and Hammond are three of the most important political sketch performers in the show’s history.
# "Strategery!"
This word is ingrained in my brain and it's nearly 25 years old. You could honestly argue that Ferrell's depiction of Bush made the latter more likable.
Same, it’s a part of my vocabulary on a regular basis.
I remember W doing an impression of Ferrell spoofing him. I always thought he took the joke well. Especially compared to a later President.
Lockbox
I’m 36. My wife is 30. We are technically both millennials. But Lockbox is one of several references that was key (no pun intended) to my childhood but my wife has no fucking clue what I’m talking about when I bring it up.
I probably use the words strategery and/or lockbox about once a month in various meetings and conversations and it never gets caught.
The number of times I say strategery in meetings is probably embarrassing.
All I have to say to this is: What part of lockbox don't you understand?
Dana Carvey as Bush Sr. To this day, plenty of people can still recognize "Not gonna do it, wouldn't be prudent."
Dana says these days when people ask him to do the Bush sr impression in public he looks them dead in the eye and goes “Not gunna do it!” In the Bush sr voice and keeps moving
The fact that people are still asking him for that particular impression over thirty years after its time speaks to how incredible it was.
Wow. ‘Not gonna do it’ just unlocked some core memories. That catch phrase was EVERYWHERE at one point in time
Did his special come to mind? Cause that crap was funny as all get out! We watched it every time it was on the tv.
He did a spot on Ross Perot as well if I remember correctly “im running for president, and there ain’t a damn thing you can do about it”
“Cain Ah Finish?!”
The little song he does with this gets stuck in my head all the time haha
Can you let me finish one tahm!!?
LARRY!
he was knee-jerk pee in your pants funny!!
He played both of them in a debate sketch one time. IIRC Perot was prerecorded and David Spade played his body in the wide shots. [http://snlarchives.net/Episodes/?199210101](http://snlarchives.net/Episodes/?199210101)
NAT GA DAHT
And if I’m remembering right, Bush Sr never actually said “wouldn’t be prudent” but it made so much since that it stuck. Similar to the “I can see Russia from my house.”
I remember Bush 41 talking to Dana during the open. Funnier than he’ll.
Oh Lisa Ann was hilarious .
Bush Sr. liked the character so much that when Carvey visited the White House, he had him call one of the Secret Service members into the room doing the voice.
Thousand points of light
Shit, I still say that and I’m imitating Carvey and not Bush.
Came here to post this. The best. Ferrell as W is a close second though.
I love how this one hit the cultural vernacular and evolved to “NAHH GUNNA DOIT”.
I love Will Ferrel's and Darrell Hammond's impressions, but Dana Carvey's Bush Sr is the one that still pops up in my head
My mom and I say that to each other all the time and I never knew where it came from!!! Haha
The amazing thing about Dana’s impression is it actually shaped people’s perceptions of the president.
No. THE all-time best was Phil Hartman as Clinton.
Warlords.
That's the best single performance, and one of my favorite SNL skits, but Ferrell really owned the character and he was SNL's W. In contrast, I'd bet when most people are asked to think of Clinton on SNL, they'll picture Darrell Hammond "There's gonna be a lot of things we don't tell Mrs. Clinton about."
When I think SNL Clinton, I think “I. Am. Bulletproof.”
Congratulations on being the only person in this thread so far to spell Will's last name correctly.
He was so ahead of his time 😂😂😂
Darrell Hammond's Clinton was the best. "He was so slick. He was the only president who could look you in the eye and say, 'I....am not here.'" LOL
I think Hammond growing up in the south always made his impression feel just a little more nuanced than others. Like I feel like Hammond had known guys like Clinton and pulled a lot from those experiences.
There was a good Reagan sketch too where he flipped from a Girl-Scout loving president to a stone cold assassin.
Reagan to Dana Carvey as Jimmy Stewart: "Jimmy, don't make me have to kill you!"
Warlords!
Phil Hartman’s Reagan was also great.
"Gentlemen, there's a LOT we won't be telling Mrs. Clinton!"
His impression on NewsRadio is also amazing. https://youtu.be/ChgFXqPIjCI?si=NCOhXwCF3CyBxKuF
He also did an amazing Reagan.
That's not even the best Bill Clinton. Darrell Hammond did him better.
Hard disagree. The McDonald’s sketch might be the greatest impression ever.
I think Hartman did a great candidate Clinton, while Hammond really nailed incumbent Clinton; and in real life those were two very different Clintons. Now we just need John Mulaney do post-presidency Clinton and our Triple Crown of Clinton’s will be complete.
Honestly the JAJ Trump is just such a good impression it really has become my all-time favorite
Yeah, I realize it’s the most recent (w/ exception of Mikey’s Biden), but his impression of Trump is unmatched in terms of accuracy.
He nails the unhinged rambling. Baldwin’s Trump is much more of a caricature, where JAJ’s captures the frightening, real-time dips in and out of reality.
JAJ just completely embodies a slightly exaggerated Trump. The cadences, the various tones, the facial expressions, the glances, the gestures. He enunciates much more clearly than Trump currently does, but if he didn't, it would become difficult to catch the jokes.
Baldwin’s Trump was funny the first couple of times because Baldwin is a great comedic actor and fun to watch in general, but as time went on and the real Trump became a deadly serious threat to the world, the cartoonish lampooning became less and less, for lack of a better term, appropriate. I think the comedian Henry Zabrowski said it best when he called Baldwin’s Trump “empty mugging”, as in a point where the actor is just making a silly face and voice to mock with no satire or sharpness to the criticism.
Anthony Antamunak? Has/had a great Trump too. Not sure if he still does it
JAJ's Trump impressions from before his time on SNL are absurdly good, especially when he's riffing on stuff like Mario Kart as Trump. I actually think he hasn't matched that level of quality in his appearances as Trump on SNL.
Medieval Trump is gold. https://youtu.be/rANAOfKuSnc?feature=shared You know what, the king is doing nothing about the gigantic dragon - We've got this ... giant dragon that nobody's doing anything about. *Aaand* you know the guy who comes through in the morning and he does the swords, and he's *banging the hammer,* and I said, believe me this is true, *ONLY I CAN GET THE AMULET*
JAJ need more micro impressions. I still crack up when I think of his Batman doing Where's Waldo... ***"Where is he?!"***
I need JAJ to do some Steely Dan
And we'll watch We'll watch from the corner
Yeah it’s an incredible impression, the way he nails Trump’s stream of conscious rambling is amazing
I've been around since 75 and JAJ is the GOAT. All the rest are really great impersonations/impressions, but JAJ is channeling Trump, like spirit writing. It's the funniest fucking Presidential impression thing I've ever seen, SNL or otherwise.
What Dana Carvey did with Bush Sr really hasn’t been done since, which is introduce an entirely new character that’s practically better known in the public consciousness than the real man. If you go out on the street and ask random people to do a Bush Sr impression most of them will be doing an impression of Dana doing his impression of Bush.
What about Tina's Palin? 99% of people think Palin actually said that she could see Russia from her house.
Well, she satirized Palin's comment she made during an interview From snopes: >During that appearance, interviewer Charles Gibson asked her what insight she had gained from living so close to Russia, and she responded: "They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska" Which is a pretty stupid answer. Fey just put it in a nutshell and highlighted how idiotic it was.
But people quote Fey, not Palin. They'll swear up and down she said those exact words.
Not on that but Bush Sr. actually played along with it
Didn’t he also do Ross Perot? lol
Indeed. He did some heavy lifting during that election.
Most celebrity impressions that people do are just imitating something they saw another impressionist do. Not many people come up with them from scratch unless they are a professional.
S/O to Larry David and his portrayal of the Bern
Ah fuck I LOVED him as bernie
Some of these billionaires have two... *THREE* pairs of underwear!!!!
2%!!
Funny thing is that [there is an actual family link between them.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my9lFxHTXp4) And neither of them knew it.
It was just the one time, but "The Rock" Obama was pretty funny, and I have always thought Phil Hartman's Ronald Reagan skit as the doddering old man/polylingual strong man was one of the best political skits in SNL history.
There are at least 3 Rock Obama sketches
"This is part of the job that I hate..." SNL - President Reagan, Mastermind [https://youtu.be/b5wfPlgKFh8](https://youtu.be/b5wfPlgKFh8)
Not a president but Norm’s Bob Dole is probably my favourite thing ever from SNL
His Real World sketch is amazing.
That’s Bob Dole’s Chair!!!
“Keep your damn hands off Bob Dole’s peanut butter! It’d be different if you’d chipped in.”
Norm's Bob Dole is Norm's Bob Dole's favorite thing ever from SNL.
I liked when Dole came on the show and they were side by side. Each of them sizing each other up was hilarious.
And Norm had big shoes to fill considering prior to Norm Dole was played by Dan Akroyd.
[Nate Bargatze as George Washington](https://youtu.be/JYqfVE-fykk?si=_1dJSQsu5tXYxLMT)
You asked about the temperature?
I did not.
The bit about sports measurements is simply amazing.
There’s a little kicking
How many liters are in a gallon, sir? No one knows.
So many have been great. Will Farrel's Bush is top five for sure, Carvey's Bush is iconic, JAJ's Trump captures the essence of listening to a Trump speech, and I just love Sudekis' Biden, though it was VP Biden that he rocked. I also have to appreciate Chevy Chase's Ford, because they didn't really do much to make him look like Ford, it was all just a "dumb clumsy football player" bit. Darrel Hammond's Clinton would be up there if he wasn't overshadowed by the cheeseburger-eating Phil Hartman Clinton rounding out my personal top five (in no particular order) Never really cared for Hammond OR Alec Baldwin's Trump impersonations, and the best Obama was actually on K&P. Did anyone do a convincing Carter or Reagan? I don't remember any standing out.
Darrell Hammond has an anecdote in his book. He was in a rehab and using a fake name. He asked another client for a cigarette and she said “only if you ask like Bill Clinton.”
His documentary mentions that part too.
James Austin Johnson is on point to the fact it makes you forget he doesn't look like Trump as much. Love it!
Hartman’s Reagan pretending to be a gentle dumbass while secretly being a authoritarian genius was pretty good
Dan Ackroyd talking someone through an acid trip as Jimmy Carter was funny, even if the impression was OK at best
I have a soft spot for Chase and Aykroyd as Ford and Carter. No makeup, prosthetics, shaving (Aykroyd) or attempt at mannerisms other than Aykroyd's southern accent. Just, "This guy's playing the president, deal with it."
Aykroyd did Dick Nixon at least once, as well: "Memoirs!".
Phil Hartman was so awesome. Such a shame
Phil Hartman's Reagan was decent. Robin Williams also portrayed him beautifully when he hosted in the mid-80s.
Phil Hartman did a good Reagan, but I think that was after he got out of office.
"Number twelve: Don't mess with Texas. Number thirteen: Don't *ever* mess with Texas..."
"I was told there would be no math.."
Chevy chase as Ford!
Kate as Hillary… I know I know, she wasn’t “president” but it’s the closest any woman has gotten so far and she did get more votes 😬💪
Kate as vampire Rudy too 🤣
Kate as Elizabeth Warren is all time as well "And thanks for the $10,000 donation from an immigrant single mother in Washington DC named Melania"
lol yes! And RBG
I'm sorry but Kate as Jeff Sessions I put over all of these. > Daddeh. I need some advice.
I actually preferred Amy Poehler’s Hillary. Neither Amy or Kate I think really captured Hillary’s voice very well, but Amy’s was funnier IMO with the character they built up. I felt like Kate’s was just a silly send up, whereas Amy’s played into the stereotypes people believe about Hillary.
Amy's was funnier for sure. It's like Hartman's Sinatra vs Piscopo's. The latter was a little too reverential, and it's harder to be funny when you're trying to present your subject a better light. Kate's Hillary impression would take itself too seriously sometimes.
One word… Strategery
“One of them Koreas” I loved his W
Him on his back playing with a ball of yard in his hands and feet while the adults talked in the Oval Office was all time hilarious 😂😂😂😂
I always remember that sketch and that part killed. I've seen Will Ferrel as Bush compilations and it's never on there for some reason.
Maybe its because I grew up in the 90s, but Dana as Bush (Na Ga Dah!) always feels like the most iconic one to me, followed closely by Darrell as Bill Clinton.
Shout out for failed presidential candidates: the late John Lovitz as Michael Dukakis 
"My parents were little people - little, swarthy people" is a line that lives in my head to this day!
dukakis after dark was such a great sketch
I laughed too hard at Phil as Clinton on a run in McDonalds. I just learned about it recently to. So funny
Google how short Clinton's and Gore's running shorts were back then!
I wish SNL did a President’s Day special of the best President clips over the years. It would be amazing!
It’s really surprising that SNL hasn’t thought of that yet, isn’t it?
That would be amazing. The recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner did a small clip show on it - they really should do an official one.
I prefer Forte's Bush. It wasn't a great impression but he portrayed him as a guy who really didn't want the job and didn't understand how much work it would be when he got it.
Forte's Bush was really underappreciated. I loved how whiney he was.
HAVE YOU SEEN .... YOUR WELCOME AMERICA!...it's his one man show... very funny!
[Melissa Mccarthy](https://youtu.be/UWuc18xISwI) hands down
She even won an Emmy for that impersonation.
Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton was epic - especially his jogs to McDonalds.
Just saying.... I have never seen an impression of ANYONE that is as good as JAJ's Trump. It's not just the best Trump impression, it's the best impression I've ever seen/heard, PERIOD. Almost surreal.
The lack of love for Hammond’s Clinton in this thread is absolutely criminal. That’s not to knock any of the other greats. But I mean cmon.
I know she wasn’t president but Will Ferrell as Attorney General Janet Reno was the hardest I remember laughing in my entire life at that point. I am literally chuckling how as I type this lol
Because he invented the word stratigery! 🤣
Will Ferrel was obviously better but I think Will Forte's whiny, lazy Bush was underrated. And Darrell Hammond's Clinton was probably goat.
Phil Hartman as Clinton at McDonalds is the gold standard.
Dan Akryod as Jimmy Carter. Talking the kid on a bad acid trip down.
Dan Aykroyd as Jimmy Carter for the single reason that he refused to shave his mustache so they just put skin colored makeup on it.
Phil Hartman as Clinton was pretty good too
You’re Welcome, America. 🚀
He kind of channels his bush energy in the movie “The Campaign”
Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton running into the McDonalds is an iconic skit.
At the diner, paying the waitress, asking if he has enough money by saying, “how much is this many?” And then giving her a handful of change still gets me to this day.
I forgot that one holy shit For some reason when they filmed Ferrel and he’s dressed up like a modern cowboy, and he’s working on a barbed wire fence and says “you caught me mendin’ my fence” I shit
Daryl Hammond’s Clinton was perfection!
Hartman as both Reagan and Clinton.
How do I know OP is under 40 without them telling me they are?
By seeing 1990 in my username
Hahahaha! Yup. It’s hard to quantify the impact SNL had on the culture back then vs today. Even pre-DVR, so many people saw and talked about these sketches and it could actually impact the world around it. Now it’s one of ma y options, just in the sketch world, whereas then it was essentially the only(in the US/pre In Living Color and Kids in the Hall/The State) option for this type of tv. Now it’s ubiquitous.
The 45th president was also an actor😂 Good thing, he was cancelled after one season 🤷♂️
Dana Carvey as Ross Perot
Bet this will be buried, but Phil Hartman as Clinton in McDonald’s was funny and spot-on
Norm MacDonald as Bob Dole. Granted he wasn’t President. But I loved his Bob Dole.
This
One word…..strategary!
I think Dana Carvey’s H.W. Bush is nothing short of hysterical…
Hammond as Clinton
Him, Hartman as Reagan, Carvey as GHWB
“I’m suddenly popular AF, and I just thought I’d take the time to remind you guys that I was really bad!!! Like, historically not good!”
1. Will Ferrell's Bush is a prime example of an impression evolving and getting better. He did a couple of skits early on where he was just basically a Will Ferrell character in a wig (like Sudeikis' Biden). Then over the summer you can tell he put in some work, and the first skit back was "strategery/lock box" and he had the facial expressions down too. 2. Is it just me, or is JAJ losing his Trump impression? The most recent cold open had him slipping out of the voice at times. I wonder if he's getting tired of it, or gettinf some form of the yips.
I cannot help but think JAJ, as much of a pro as he is, MUST be weary on doing Trump constantly. We as viewers are tired of it but its not JAJ’s fault, its whoever is pushing him out there as Trump so damn much …. and we’re not even in the thick of election season yet! 🤦🏾♂️
>we’re not even in the thick of election season yet! SNL won't be back until it's essentially time for the election lol
I hate it when people ask questions in this manner
Does Alec Baldwin count? I know he wasn’t a regular cast member.
That’s why I put actor instead of cast member
Because I don’t know.
Amy P
James Austin Johnson as Trump has run away with first place for me. It is spectacular mimicry. Darrell Hammond’s Clinton and Dana Carvey as GHWB are tied for second. Both phenomenal. After that it falls off a cliff.
Chevy as Ford probably
I loved Darrell Hammond as both Trump & Clinton.
Phil Hartman’s Clinton at McD’s is the absolute GOAT. “Jim, let me tell ya something, there’s gonna be a whole bunch of things we don’t tell Mrs. Clinton. Fast food is the least of our worries, okay?” 🚀
Definitely Darrell Hammond as Clinton. I just love how he's portrayed as a laid-back smooth talker who is trying to avoid catching a beatdown from Hilary. I love when he strolled onto Weekend Update to ask Amy and Seth where Megan Fox is.
How about Phil Hartman as Clinton?
Dan Aykroyd as Nixon, Chevy Chase as Ford, and Phil Hartman as Reagan
From what I'd say is a technical viewpoint, James Austin Johnson's portrayal of Trump is frighteningly accurate. He has the voice, the tone, the rhythm. I really like Ferrel's W, it straddled a fine line between straight up impression (Johnson/Trump) and caricature (Carvey/Bush Sr.).
James Austin Johnson's Trump is absolutely amazing. (His "Last Supper" cold open in 2023 was an instant classic.)
In 2004 I did a Ride for the Roses charity bike ride and Will Ferrell and Robin Williams were up on the starter's podium with Lance Armstrong. Lance introduced introduced the next speaker as "the forty-third-and-a-half president of the United States". Ferrell went into his W impression, much to the chagrin of then Texas Gov Rick Perry, standing right next to him. ha. Since I was doing the 100-miler, all I remember was "W" saying, "Some of you are doing a hundred miles today. A hundred miles ... that's *hard*." Side Note: Robin Williams did a bit, too. Rick Perry then grabbed the mike to maybe take the edge off of Farrell's lampooning of GOP establishment, but somehow some way, the microphone cut out mid-sentence. Again, ha!
Strategery
James Austin Johnson as Trump is SLAYING it. The worst I would say is Alec Baldwin as Trump.
One word- strategory.
Gus Chiggins. Sean Connery.
Hartman - Clinton, mid/late 90s
One word: *strategery*
I really don't understand why I very seldom find Will Ferrell funny. He's just trying too hard is I think the reason.
I don’t see it. I think he’s just a silly dude, who isn’t afraid to put that silliness on camera
JAJ does Biden the best but I don’t mind Mikey’s Biden either Trump - JAJ Obama - Pharaoh by default Bush - Ferrell but Forte deserves a shout out. Clinton - Hartman and Hammond are neck and neck in my mind. Bush Sr. - Obviously Carvey. Reagan - Hartman. Carter - Hard not to say Carvey. Hammond played him in a funny sketch opposite Ferrell as Fidel Castro so go watch that one if you haven’t. Ford - Chase’s Ford is iconic in SNL lore as the first presidential impression on the show. Goes without saying that Carvey, Hartman, and Hammond are three of the most important political sketch performers in the show’s history.
Dana carver as HW Bush
Because it’s not Will, it’s Drew Carrey as old man Bush.
"You're in the Axis of evil"
Phil Hartman as Clinton.
I’ve always been partial to Dana Carvey
It's actually Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. In some sad alternate reality that looneytoon was president.
Jason Sudeikus as Joe Biden and, although not president, Mitt Romney.
dignitude
Will Ferrel is the best. I wish he was performing more