Most SNL fans weren’t very happy that the show decided to let then-presidential candidate Donald Trump host the show back in 2015, and according Alec Baldwin, if the show had its way we would’ve had to go through at least one more Trump appearance this year. Speaking with Ellen DeGeneres, Baldwin revealed that the show invited the real Trump to appear during Baldwin’s February episode, but Trump turned down the offer:
I can’t imagine what it would be like if I met him, if I ran into him. When we did the show, when I hosted SNL this season, we asked him to come. We invited him to come, we were so hopeful he would come, but he didn’t show up.
Since the election, SNL has positioned itself as the definitive anti-Trump voice in pop culture, with its sketches on Trump, Sean Spicer, Steve Bannon, Vladimir Putin, and more prompting the real Trump to complain to his administration and even attack the show on Twitter multiple times. Still, if what Baldwin told DeGeneres is true, the show is always open to a well-timed Trump cameo if he’s into it. Thankfully for SNL, the episode did just fine without a Trump appearance and earned the show its highest ratings in six years.
The best part of Baldwin’s interview with DeGeneres is right at the end when he asks her, “Have you invited him to the show?†DeGeneres, in as neutral of a tone as she can, replies: “…no.â€
Watch the clip below: