\n<\/p>\n
\u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d resumed its election-season tradition of bringing on political candidates to play themselves, inviting Nikki Haley for a cameo in its opening sketches this weekend.<\/p>\n
Haley, who has tried to make use of comedy and popular culture as she trails former President Donald J. Trump in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, appeared in a segment that was presented as a CNN town hall event with Trump (played by the show\u2019s resident Trump impersonator, James Austin Johnson).<\/p>\n
Johnson fielded questions from other \u201cS.N.L.\u201d cast members, explaining how he planned to beat President Biden and would \u201cstop Taylor Swift from infiltrating the Super Bowl.\u201d The town hall moderators then introduced a question from an audience member \u201cwho describes herself as a concerned South Carolina voter.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
That voter turned out to be Haley, the former governor of South Carolina (as well as an ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration). \u201cYes, hello,\u201d Haley said to Johnson. \u201cMy question is, why won\u2019t you debate Nikki Haley?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cOh my God, it\u2019s her!\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThe woman who was in charge of security on Jan. 6. It\u2019s Nancy Pelosi.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haley asked, \u201cAre you doing OK, Donald? You might need a mental competency test.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson responded that he had taken such a test and received a perfect score: \u201cThey said I\u2019m 100 percent mental.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that men were better suited to hold political office than women, whom he declared \u201cterrible with money \u2014 in fact, a woman I know recently asked me for $83.3 million<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n After the two exchanged further taunts, Johnson said that Haley was treating him badly. \u201cI\u2019m always very nice to you,\u201d he said, \u201cexcept when I\u2019m implying you weren\u2019t born in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The final town hall question came from the weekend\u2019s host, Ayo Edebiri, who asked Haley: \u201cI was just curious, what would you say was the main cause of the Civil War? And do you think it starts with an \u2018s\u2019 and ends with a \u2018lavery\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n This referenced a real-life question at a New Hampshire town hall in December, where Haley\u2019s discursive response did not mention slavery.<\/p>\n She admitted, \u201cYes, I probably should have said that the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n