# What could SNL do on live TV to derail Trump? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866 "2015-10-17T02:11:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/1 "2015-10-17T02:11:05Z")
What could a cast member (or musical guest) do on Trump’s SNL episode coming up next month that would derail his presidential bid? Would getting him to lose his temper on live TV help or hinder his run? Think of the media coverage. It seems like it would be at least tempting. If I were Trump, I don’t know if I’d do it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/2 "2015-10-17T02:12:37Z")
Shoot him. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/3 "2015-10-17T02:27:16Z")
Trump will host SNL Nov. 7. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/4 "2015-10-17T02:38:35Z")
There’s really nothing SNL can do that Trump won’t eventually do to himself. He has no chance of becoming the republican candidate, never mind president. All the attention he’s getting is just a cynical ratings ploy by desperate networks and clickbait journalists. That said, someone could kick him in the balls and pull of his toupee while he’s lying on the ground groaning. Is there a Latino cast member that could do it for extra karma points? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/5 "2015-10-17T02:40:15Z")
You presume they’d be interested in doing something to derail him. Why would they harm such a motherlode of material? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/6 "2015-10-17T02:46:36Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > You presume they’d be interested in doing something to derail him. Why would they harm such a motherlode of material? Yeah, this should be a great cross-promotion for both shows. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/7 "2015-10-17T03:31:28Z")
Nothing, really. The only thing that would derail him is to make it look like someone else owned him. But, since this is a TV show and not some contest, it’s too easy for Trump to spin any “owning” into letting them win for good TV. And any asshole moves would just let him attack SNL–which his supporters would see as being “strong.” The first debate he lost was when Fiorina tore him down and he didn’t have a good response. He didn’t attack her back. But Trump has been self-effacing before when it suits him–which is pretty much what every politician has to do on SNL. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/8 "2015-10-17T04:43:00Z")
Any act of pettiness (outside the ‘rules’ of SNL) on SNLs part can only help his bid. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/9 "2015-10-17T05:02:00Z")
He is so humorless and incapable of badinage that I’m wondering what the hell it will be. maybe Michaels has got some ideas. But if he won’t talk about things he’s uncomfortable with and has to retaliate on every slight, how could he be part of any comedy show? ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/10 "2015-10-17T05:19:17Z")
You assume that SNL wants to derail Trump. When has a SNL host, regardless of politics, been treated with anything besides kid gloves? If the show’s cast went after him, then any potential host (political or acting) who’s even remotely fearful of looking bad would cross SNL off their lists. And where does that leave the show? ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/11 "2015-10-17T11:27:25Z")
I offered up the musical guest as a possibility. They would have nothing to lose and everything to gain in street credibility. I didn’t say that SNL wants to knock him down, but in that cast and crew (maybe 75 people) not one person would have this cross their minds? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/12 "2015-10-17T12:05:01Z")
> [@diggerwam](#): > > I offered up the musical guest as a possibility. Is Sinead O’Connor busy? ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/13 "2015-10-17T12:08:17Z")
I think they should have Steven Tyler as the musical guest. Let them have a chat about Trumps campaign continuing to use “Dream On” as their theme song even though he has been asked not to. That might be fun, even if it wouldn’t derail the Donald. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/14 "2015-10-17T15:38:18Z")
Anything that results in more publicity for Trump and shows him as an “outside the box” figure helps him, or so it’s been thus far. The only way SNL could help to “derail” Trump is to get him to drone on about how governing is a matter of give and take, and how he’d seek rational compromise with opponents in order to solve pressing problems. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/15 "2015-10-17T15:46:06Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > He has no chance of becoming the republican candidate, never mind president. All the attention he’s getting is just a cynical ratings ploy by desperate networks and clickbait journalists. People have been saying this for months now and they just keep moving the goalposts. “He’ll quit before he has to file paperwork.” “He’ll quit before he has to release his tax forms.” “He’ll quit before the debates start.” “He’ll quit before he has to take a loyalty oath.” “He’ll quit before he gets his name on a ballot.” The only thing that’s going to make Trump quit is if his campaign gets tanked and he ends up in a position where he’s liable to lose, and so far that hasn’t happened. (Unfortunately, you can only publish your birth certificate and then kill Osama bin Laden so many times before it loses its pizzazz.) As to SNL? They’ll give him some gentle ribbing, nothing of any real political substance, certainly nothing edgy, just like they’ve done with every president and major candidate of the last 40 years, the next day he’ll declare either that “They’re terrific!” or “They’re idiots!”, and life will go on. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/16 "2015-10-17T16:00:53Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > People have been saying this for months now and they just keep moving the goalposts. “He’ll quit before he has to file paperwork.” “He’ll quit before he has to release his tax forms.” “He’ll quit before the debates start.” “He’ll quit before he has to take a loyalty oath.” “He’ll quit before he gets his name on a ballot.” > > The only thing that’s going to make Trump quit is if his campaign gets tanked and he ends up in a position where he’s liable to lose, and so far that hasn’t happened. He’s not saying he’ll quit. He’s saying what we’ve all been saying: Trump isn’t serious. He’s been doing things to tank his campaign since he started. He got all up in arms about being fired from NBC, when, if he were serious, he should have quit. He’s been making himself look like an idiot, and it’s helping him out. He still barely has a political machine working, and is uninterested in learning what he’d need to know to be President (saying he’ll learn it when he gets there.) No, he won’t quit as long as he’s winning. But that doesn’t mean he wants to be President. There really is nothing SNL could do to him that he won’t do to himself–that he hasn’t already done to himself. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-snl-do-on-live-tv-to-derail-trump/734866/17 "2015-10-17T16:14:52Z")
Trump strikes me as a man who honestly believes his own hype. In Trump’s mind, he’s exactly as smart and capable as he claims he is, and he’s running for president because he actually believes he’d do a better job running the country than anyone else. He’s _wrong_, of course, but he doesn’t strike me as being as cynical as, say, Rush Limbaugh, who knows he’s just a comedian.