'Why Won't You Debate' Me?: Nikki Haley Crashes Trump's 'SNL' Town Hall In Surprise Cameo
The real Nikki Haley confronted a mock Donald Trump at a South Carolina town hall in a surprise appearance during the “Saturday Night Live” cold open this weekend.
Taking place at a faux CNN event hosted by Gayle King and Charles Barkley (played by Punkie Johnson and Kenan Thompson, respectively), Haley crashed the town hall as Trump (played by James Austin Johnson) took questions from voters ahead of the state’s Republican Party primary later this month.
“Why won’t you debate Nikki Haley?” asked Haley, who was introduced as a “concerned South Carolina voter.”
“Oh my God, it’s her, the woman who was in charge of security on Jan. 6. It’s Nancy Pelosi,” replied Johnson’s Trump in reference to the former president’s recent rally blunder.
The former United Nations ambassador later took a question from “SNL” host Ayo Edebiri, who referenced the GOP presidential candidate not mentioning slavery when asked about the Civil War in December.
“I was just curious, what would you say was the main cause of the Civil War, and do you think it starts with an ‘s’ and ends with a ‘lavery’?” Edebiri asked.
“Yup, I probably should’ve said that the first time,” Haley said before delivering the show’s signature, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” intro line.
Haley later posted about her “SNL” appearance on X, formerly Twitter.
“I see dead people.” That’s exactly what voters will think if this race is between Trump and Biden in the fall.
Had a blast tonight on SNL! Know it was past Donald’s bedtime so looking forward to the stream of unhinged tweets in the a.m. pic.twitter.com/W43LlPOoi2— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 4, 2024
“Had a blast tonight on SNL! Know it was past Donald’s bedtime so looking forward to the stream of unhinged tweets in the a.m.,” she wrote.
Haley’s appearance on the program arrives as Trump continues to lead her by over 30% of the vote in South Carolina, according to FiveThirtyEight.