It will be the greatest cold opening of all time, and explain everything. Trump will unzip, and step out of his enormous fat suit. He’ll slowly peel off the obscene orange flab mask he’s been wearing to reveal none other than… Andy Kaufman!
I know I suggested Gaffigan upthread, but I saw someone else suggest Andy Richter on twitter this weekend and I think he’d also make a great choice. Close enough in age, real mid-westerner.
With 21 regular cast members, why keep bringing extras in? The original cast was 7 members. I’m sure they could find someone from the cast they already have. I don’t think they could have a better Trump than James Austin Johnson, for example. His voice is perfect.
I think James Austin Johnson was hired partly because of his impression of Trump, so the need for a Walz impression might influence their hiring for the new season. For that matter, if Kamala Harris wins, they’ll need someone to impersonate her for four (or even eight) years and Maya Rudolph may not be willing to do that.
Jim Gaffigan was the first name to pop into my head, but I like the idea of Andy Richter. Interesting that there’s no shortage of pudgy midwestern dudes out there to suggest.
I’ve never liked James Austin Johnson’s Trump, though. He gets the cadence of Trump’s voice wrong. I don’t know who from the cast should replace him. They have way too many people who have no personality and they don’t ping any synapses in my brain.
Nevertheless, I also don’t like referring back to the original cast. Which of those seven people would play Kamala Harris?
Because stunt casting brings publicity. It took awhile for SNL to understand the power of social media. They used to remove any clips that were posted. Now they release their own clips and even release some things from dress rehearsal that don’t make the show. A clip with a famous actor being a candidate with get a lot of views.
Maya could sign on for just a year and then they could find a new person. They replaced Alec after all.
But I’m not stuck on her or anything. I’m sure they’ll pick a good one.
Just saw him on CNN talking about Walz, is a fellow Minnesotan, and is also an SNL alumni…
I think Al Franken would be able to pull it off.
And he was a former cast member/writer from the early days. I like him, but he’s still got that polical baggage for which he apologized and resigned years ago.
Actually, with his big rubbery face, he’d be better off played by a Henson- type puppet 
I think Ego Nwodim is perfectly capable of playing Kamala for an entire eight years if necessary.
Ego is hilarious too. I pissed myself watching that one skit where she was with Pedro Pascal trying to cut steak at the table in the restaurant. .
You called it.
He was Joebiden.
He was eerie too. He must have studied Biden carefully because he had his cadence and mannerisms down to a T.
Carvey is famous for his Bush impression, but that was a crazy caricature that existed as its own wacky character and only bore a superficial resemblance to the real Bush. Carvey himself said he wasn’t trying to actually look or sound like Bush, but to find a few quirks and exaggerate them until they became funny (because the real Bush was an unamusing stick in the mud). His Biden though, it was uncanny how accurate it was, he looked a lot like him too. The voice wasn’t right, he just sounded like Dana Carvey, yet he spoke so similar that it came across very Biden.
I told my wife that I hope we see more of both Carvey and Gaffigan in those roles, as they worked so well.
I just wanted to say that I am impressed with the skills of the people here. I am also impressed with myself for recognizing the actors. Usually I have to go to the internet to find out who the guest cameos were but I recognized Gaffigan and Carvey immediately. I did think that they were good choices and the Biden makeup was great. Whoever called Bowen as Vance deserves credit. I’m beginning to think he can play anything- Vance. Charli XCX, the baby hippo…
The story I heard was that Carvey was struggling to nail down his Bush I impersonation, when he had a revelation-- do a voice that was a cross between John Wayne and Mr. Rogers. And if you listen to Carvey’s Bush I impersonation with that in mind, you can totally hear it 
They also had Andy Samberg playing Doug Emhoff. So three were played by SNL alumni.
This is the most Horrific Event I can imagine.
Haley Joel Osment did Vance better on whatever nighttime talk show that was.
You win a prize!
That shuffle walk was spot on.