.png)
Impressions and Influence: The Political Power of “Saturday Night Live”
In today’s political world, cultural salience is a key political currency. There are many measures of influence and relevance, but “Saturday Night Live” (SNL), known for comedic impressions, demonstrates which politicians the public talks about, and why they’ve captured the nation’s attention.
The cast has debuted several new impressions under the second term of President Donald Trump. James Austin Johnson, who began playing Donald Trump in 2021, returned for Season 52 in September 2026.
Key figures in the Trump administration have garnered their own roles – Jeremy Culhane as Vice President JD Vance, Colin Jost as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Marcello Hernández as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Aziz Ansari as Kash Patel, Ashley Padilla as former Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and Trump aide Natalie Harp.
The impressions have spanned beyond federal figures, including Ramy Youssef’s portrayal of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Jeremy Culhane as political commentator Tucker Carlson.
Season 52 of SNL premiered on Sept. 26, 2026, and featured a cold open of Trump and Mamdani, which highlighted public confusion surrounding Trump and Mamdani’s unlikely political alliance. In the sketch, Youssef’s Mamdani makes a TikTok dance about the dangers of the Nor’easter storm, Johnson’s Trump makes references to their unlikely relationship, and Padilla appears as an obsessed Harp.
Harp’s relationship with Trump recently came under scrutiny after her letters to the president were published. In these letters, Harp wrote that Trump was “all that matters” to her, calling him her “Guardian and Protector in this Life.”
Beyond presidential candidates, the appearance of figures like Mamdani and Harp highlights the cultural relevance of these individuals, even though they may not have the same level of political power as federal players.
A 2024 YouGov poll found that 31% of Americans believed late-night comedy focused “too much on politics,” with 50% of Republicans sharing this belief, 30% of Independents, and 14% of Democrats. Despite these critiques, the show has a long history of covering political events; Chevy Chase appeared as President Gerald Ford during the show’s first season in 1975.
SNL impressions not only serve as a microcosm of public opinion, but they also serve to solidify public perceptions of politicians and political events; their exaggerations of existing dialogue can serve as a focusing effect. A City University of New York (CUNY) analysis argues that SNL simplifies complex political events, making them more personal, humanized, and digestible to everyday Americans – specifically young Americans – thereby shaping public dialogue on politics and elections.
In the article The Agenda Setting Function of Mass Media, political scientists Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw argue that the mass media shapes what issues the public considers important. This concept is known as agenda-setting theory.
SNL exemplifies this theory: while comedic and satirical content may not decisively control public opinion, comedic coverage of politics shapes what issues and politicians Americans consider relevant and important.
The political influence of SNL was best demonstrated during the 2008 presidential election, in which Tina Fey frequently appeared as Republican Vice Presidential candidate and then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. A Gallup poll found that 53% of respondents viewed Palin favorably in September 2008, but after the first SNL sketch depicting Palin, the number decreased to 42% by November 2008. While Palin’s decline in approval ratings cannot be solely attributed to SNL many point to this coverage as a key factor.
According to the Chicago Tribune, studies found that 66% of active voters in 2008 viewed the SNL skits that year, and 12% of independent voters claimed that SNL worsened their views of Palin. A Reuters poll just before the 2008 election found that 10% of voters said the skits influenced their vote.
The impression not only influenced the public, but also more traditional news coverage. During an interview with former CBS journalist Katie Couric, Palin struggled to give substantive answers to many questions. A study on an SNL sketch of this interview found that after the sketch, journalists increasingly attributed Palin’s competency and preparation to the interview’s outcome, even comparing her to the sketch in their questions and coverage.
In the 2026 midterm elections, SNL coverage could have a similar effect, shaping press coverage of political events, such as the Natalie Harp news coverage. Further, SNL could influence public views on which races and issues are considered most important and relevant, or even change public perception of candidates themselves.
Comments