Ranked: Worst to best presidential candidate performances on SNL

There are only a few days before the US presidential election, which means the time has come for an incredibly important decision: what is the best performance by a candidate on Saturday Night Live?

At the weekend, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, appeared in the show’s opening sketch alongside Maya Rudolph, who frequently impersonates Harris on SNL. The “cold open” cameo continues a long tradition of presidential candidates stopping by studio 8H at NBC’s headquarters in the lead-up to an election.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris (right) appears on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.Credit: AP

From Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama, many White House hopefuls have tried to convert laughs into votes – with mixed results.

Here are six of the best performances of recent years.

6. Barack Obama, 2007

If you’ve ever seen Obama at a White House Correspondents’ dinner, you’ll know he has a sense of humour, but sadly, this 2007 sketch featuring Amy Poehler’s Hillary Clinton hosting a Halloween party missed the mark.

Senator Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates (Fred Armisen, Will Forte, Bill Hader, Simon Rich and Jason Sudeikis) stopped by Bill and Hillary Clintons’ (Darrell Hammond and Amy Poehler) Halloween party.Credit: NBCUniversal via Getty Images

In the lead-up to the Democratic nomination, Obama stopped by (revealing himself by taking off an Obama mask) and made a few self-deprecating gags: “I have nothing to hide; I enjoy being myself.”

It may not have set the world on fire, but it did the trick; Obama won the nomination soon afterwards and the rest is history.

5. John McCain, 2008

Spare a thought for Republican John McCain, who found himself up against the might of the “Yes We Can!” Obama-mania in 2008. Despite trailing in the polls (and raising nowhere near as much money as his rival), McCain maintained a good sense of humour about the mismatch. He appeared on SNL days before the 2008 election, spruiking himself (alongside Tina Fey as his VP Sarah Palin) with painful honesty: “I’m a true maverick – a Republican without money.”

4. Hillary Clinton, 2016

Hillary Clinton has appeared on Saturday Night Live several times, but her standout performance came in 2016 when she was frontrunner to win the Democratic nomination. Clinton played a bartender named Val, while Kate McKinnon played Clinton, complaining to Val that everyone wanted to talk about a rumoured presidential bid by Donald Trump. Clinton – the real one – then did her own Trump impression: “Ugh, you’re all losers.”

Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton and Hillary Clinton as Val in 2015.Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The segment showed Clinton’s human side (and even won an endorsement from Trump himself) but probably seems less funny to Clinton now, given how things played out.

3. Kamala Harris, 2024

Days out from the election, Harris has pulled off one of the more powerful moves of her campaign: being funny on SNL. Harris starred in a sketch opposite Maya Rudolph (who impersonates Harris on SNL), and the two Harrises combined to sketch out a plan to stop Trump. “Now, Kamala, take my palm-ala,” Rudolph said, extending a hand to Harris. “The American people want to stop the chaos,” Harris replied, “and end the drama-la.”

2. Donald Trump, 2015

Regardless of your position on his politics, Trump is a man who covets the spotlight, so, unsurprisingly, he did a decent job hosting Saturday Night Live. In November 2015, a few months after declaring his candidacy for the 2016 election, Trump took on hosting duties.

Appearing alongside two Trump impersonators, Trump went full Trump: “They don’t have my talent, my money or especially my good looks, but we’ll have a fun time.” In news that will shock no one, Trump has since turned on the show, describing it as “not funny with no talent”.

1. Bernie Sanders, 2016

He may not have had much luck securing the Democratic nomination in 2016, but at least Bernie Sanders can take some satisfaction in winning the title of the funniest politician to join Saturday Night Live. Sanders starred on the show in a Titanic-themed sketch in 2016, allowing him to riff on his socialist label. The sketch featured comedian Larry David playing a wealthy passenger who demanded he be bundled onto a lifeboat due to his privileged background. Enter Bernie Sanders.

“I am so sick of the 1 per cent getting this preferential treatment,” the Sanders character said. “We need to unite and work together if we’re all going to get through this!” “Sounds like socialism to me,” David replies. “Democratic socialism. H-YOOOOJ difference,” clarifies Sanders.

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