Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, amid weeks of attacks from Trump backers for her use of Democrats and anti-Trump forces in her upstart GOP primary campaign, is reveling in appearing on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."
"'I see dead people,'" Haley tweeted on X, as she keeps up hope of unseating former President Donald Trump in the primary and sitting President Joe Biden in November, making the case they are too old. "That's exactly what voters will think if this race is between Trump and Biden in the fall.
"Had a blast tonight on SNL! Know it was past Donald's bedtime so looking forward to the stream of unhinged tweets in the a.m."
Trump has not responded on his Truth Social platform, and has only tweeted once since Jan. 8, 2020, when the social media giant blocked the sitting president's voice. Trump's only post since he was returned to the platform was on the date Fulton County, Georgia, prosecutors took his mugshot.
Haley participated in an anti-Trump "SNL" cold open Saturday night, and The Hollywood Reporter noted the reliably left-leaning network was facing a backlash for giving the Republican candidate airtime during the election cycle. Both NBC and THR are rated "lean left" on AllSides.com.
NBC introduced the actor portraying Trump with a mock former NBA player Charles Barkley saying, "He's been around the court more than me, and I was in the NBA: President Donald Trump."
During a meandering sketch, and after mocking Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., for supporting Trump, the show brought in the actual Haley as a "concerned South Carolina voter."
"Yes, hello," Haley said to wild cheers from the live studio audience. "My question is, Why won't you debate Nikki Haley?"
While the real Trump says that is because she is too behind in the polls to be worth his time, "SNL" mocked Trump for having once conflated his GOP primary rival with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who he has long denounced as having failed America as being in charge of Jan. 6 security of the U.S. Capitol.
"Oh my God, it's her, the woman who was in charge of security on Jan. 6: It's Nancy Belosi," the actor portraying Trump responded to the actual Haley in the sketch, purposely mispronouncing her name.
Haley responded with a continued attack, suggesting Trump has cognitively declined.
"Are you doing OK, Donald?" Trump's former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. asked. "You might need a mental competency test."
The sketch actor attempted to repeat Trump's frequent rally remarks on presidential competency.
"You know what, I did — I took the test and I aced it, OK — perfect score," the fake Trump said, resorting to a sexist or misogynistic joke. "They said I'm 100% mental and, you know, I'm confident because I'm a man. That's why a woman should never run our economy. Women are terrible with money.
"In fact, a woman I know asked me for $83 million," the fake Trump added, referring to the ruling against him in the second E. Jean Carroll defamation trial.
The real Haley asked the fake Trump "if he needed to borrow some money" for his legal battles against Democrats and the Biden Justice Department, but eventually the jokes turned against Haley, too.
"I was just curious, what would you say was the main cause of the Civil War? And do you think it starts with an S and ends with a lavery?" a Black woman asked, mocking Haley for her tripping up on that question and in subsequent clarifications at a past primary debate.
"Yep, I probably should have said that the first time," a self-deprecating Haley responded, turning to the signature "SNL" cold open line: "And live from New York, it's Saturday night."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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