As I watched Donald Trump’s South Carolina victory speech this weekend, I was struck by how many back-handed compliments he doled out to his Republican allies. In introducing Sen. Lindsey Graham, for instance, who has represented South Carolina for more than 20 years, Trump referred to him as a man “not a lot of people” know. Then he praised South Carolina’s other Republican senator, Tim Scott, for his “drive” and “energy”—qualities Trump suggested were missing from Scott’s abandoned 2024 bid for president. Yet, shortly after the chidings, both senators took the podium without protest and cheered Trump’s victory.
Just hours after the South Carolina polls closed, Saturday Night Live’s opener capitalized on this long-running dynamic. The skit features four Republican senators: Graham, Scott, James Risch of Idaho, and Marco Rubio of Florida, who share a table at a Trump victory party in Washington, DC. Over tater-tots and pigs-in-a-blanket, the senators dish on their awkward interactions with the former president in a gossip-session-turned-support group—all while emphasizing their endless adoration for Trump.
Rubio (played by Marcello Hernandez) shares that the nickname “Little Marco,” bestowed by Trump, just won’t go away: “I’ve never been able to shake it,” he says. “People still yell it at me in airports. He kind of made my life hell.”
“And you endorsed him, right?” asks Risch (Mikey Day).
“Absolutely,” Rubio says emphatically. “Big time. That guy’s just the best.”
It only gets better and more pointed from there. Watch the full skit below:
