“Saturday Night Live” takes over coronaviruses.
The NBC show started with a cold open Democratic candidates diverting Vice President Mike Pence’s White House press conference on the fight against coronaviruses.
“President Trump has charged me with the coronavirus even though I don’t believe in science,” said Pence of Beck Bennett behind a podium. “And I have to admit that this disease has been quite a test of my faith – just like dinosaurs and Timothée Chalamet, but I’m ready for the challenge.
Bennett’s Pence then introduced Ben Carson (Keenan Thompson), whom he described as “one of the brightest minds in medicine”, to provide a reassuring health update to the masses.
“I’m Ben Carson, you know the brain surgeon they hired to develop the house,” said Carson of Thompson. “Well, it’s something I know and I think it’s going to be bad.”
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Carson of Thompson compared the coronavirus to Disney’s Stitch “Lilo Stitch” and encouraged citizens to purchase a “Make America Great Again” face mask from the White House website as a precaution against the virus.
“Delivery may take a few months because they are made in Wuhan, China,” added Carson of Thompson, referring to the Chinese city where the first cases of coronavirus were identified.
The press conference was then turned into an impromptu democratic debate after a handful of presidential candidates crushed it with their own ideas, including Michael Bloomberg.
When Bennett’s Pence asked Bloomberg how he got into the press conference, the former New York mayor (Fred Armisen) said, “I just coughed and everyone got out of my way.”
Elizabeth Warren (Kate McKinnon) was not too far behind. “Did you really think you were going to get away from me that easily,” she told Bloomberg. “I may be fifth in the polls, but I’m No. 1 in your nightmares.”
Bernie Sanders (Larry David) took the opportunity to highlight his health care policy: “You have to admit that universal health care doesn’t look so bad right now.”
The other conference crashes were Joe Biden (played by guest host John Mulaney), Amy Klobuchar (Rachel Dratch) and Pete Buttigieg (Colin Jost), who said that all of the other candidates were “at high risk” for the coronaviruses.
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