On December 19, the electoral college casts their votes for president. Technically, they are supposed to vote for the person they originally promised to vote for, but the Constitution allows electors to change their vote if the president elect is obviously unfit. In a humorous reference to the classic Christmas movie, Love Actually, Saturday Night Live encourages electoral voters to cast their vote for someone besides Trump.
The funny SNL skit is an homage to the Love Actually Scene where Mark attempts to woo his married best Friend, Juliet, with a stack of poster boards. He shows up at her front door, and stands in silence as he holds up poster boards. The poster boards contain a lengthy love letter to her that includes the swoon worthy sentence, “To me, you are perfect.” The hilarious SNL sketch features Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton, attempting to woo an elector with a heartfelt love letter.
McKinnon’s Clinton stands at an electors doorstep holding her impassioned statement up. She looks soulfully into the elector’s eyes before beginning her plea. The posters read, “Let me just say…Because it’s Christmas… And at Christmas you tell the truth… I know you’re an elector… And on December 19th… You’re supposed to vote for Donald Trump.”
McKinnon maintains a straight face as she flips through each poster, staring straight into the elector’s eyes as she reveals the board that says, “But Bish…He cray.” The humorous version of Clinton then goes through a list of all the concerning things that Trump has done, such as intentionally provoking China, refusing to attend presidential security intel briefings, and picking cabinet leaders such the man who was repeatedly fined for violating labor laws as the Secretary of Labor.
Her heartfelt plea then urges the elector to vote for anyone besides Trump. The poster boards say that Clinton does not care who wins, as long as it is someone less maniacal than Trump. Possible options that she lists include the actor Tom Hanks, the singer Zendaya, pro-wrestler turned actor The Rock, or even a literal rock. As a finishing touch, Clinton holds up a poster warning the elector that Trump “will kill us all.”
This silly sketch might provoke some giggles, but it does contain some concerning truths. Though McKinnon is obviously exaggerating when she suggests that a Trump presidency will kill the entire nation, it definitely will harm a major portion of the population. All of the examples she holds up to illustrate Trump’s craziness are actually true stories, not just goofy claims on a comedy show. It is unlikely that the entire electoral college will vote against Trump, but even a few electors who chose to go against their oaths and vote for anyone else would send a strong message about just how much the nation disapproves of a Trump presidency.