After former GOP presidential candidate Tim Scott endorsed Donald Trump rather than fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley, who had appointed him as senator in 2012, SNL‘s Devon Walker portrayed Scott justifying his move on SNL‘s Weekend Update.
Co-anchor Michael Che first mentioned Scott’s endorsement during the headline rundown, joking that “most Trump supporters only count him as three-fifths of an endorsement.”
Che later introduced Scott, whose “very unique” voice was ripe for commentary.
“My voice is like if Bill Clinton was actually Black,” Scott said. “I sound like the princess and the frog. I sound like if Forrest Gump was doing an impression of Ja Rule: ‘Where would I be without my baby.’”
Che then noted that many were caught off guard by Scott’s endorsement, to which Scott replied: “Because I’m Black? That’s very misguided. I don’t see color. I’m serious. When I looked at all the people at Trump’s rally, I did not see a single color.”
Haley and he “will always be close friends,” he went on, but noted that Trump — who attacked her by misspelling her birth name — instructed him to now call her “Nimrada Hussain Haley.”
“She may not even be from South Carolina, you know, or even America,” Scott went on.
“Senator,” Che scolded. “You know that’s not true. Those are just racist dog whistles.”
“Michael,” Scott responded, “That is not a racist dog whistle. This is,” he said, removing one from his jacket pocket and blowing it, causing co-anchor Colin Jost irritation.
Scott maintained that it’s “impossible” for Trump to be using him to trying to make inroads with the Black vote, “because Black people do not like me, all right?”
He’d also “be honored” if he were asked to be Trump’s running mate, he said — until Che reminded him how the tenure of Trump’s last vice president ended.
“Even though he told a mob to hang his last vice president?”
“He did what now!?” a shocked Scott replied. “He did that to the white one!?”
