Trump Reportedly Not Happy A Woman Played Sean Spicer On ‘Saturday Night Live’

No word on whether the gum chewing was accurately portrayed.

Melissa McCarthy’s hilarious portrayal of press secretary Sean Spicer on “Saturday Night Live” dominated screens over the weekend.

The actress’ performance depicted Spicer as an aggressively unhinged man who is distrustful of media and spews out “alternative facts” as quickly as he can jam an entire pack of Orbit into his mouth. (Spicer called Saturday’s show “funny” but said McCarthy was chewing “way too many pieces” of gum in the bit.)

Yet, despite all the unflattering podium hurling at reporters featured in McCarthy’s satirical performance, Politico reports that what really ruffled President Donald Trump’s feathers was the fact that a woman played Spicer.

“More than being lampooned as a press secretary who makes up facts, it was Spicer’s portrayal by a woman that was most problematic in the president’s eyes, according to sources close to him,” the report says. The political site also notes that a top Trump donor added that “Trump doesn’t like his people to look weak.”

Anna North of the New York Times offers some insight as to why McCarthy’s performance might perturb Trump in the paper’s opinion pages.

While her gender isn’t the center of her performance, it matters. There’s a bit of an extra bite in a woman lampooning the spokesperson of a president who once bragged about grabbing women’s genitals, and who was reportedly moved to rage last month when attendance at women’s protests around the world dwarfed attendance at his inauguration. Add to that the fact that President Trump reportedly wants his female staffers to “dress like women,” and Melissa McCarthy dressing like a man to play his press secretary feels like a particularly astute way to needle the White House.

Due to Politico’s reporting, people are now pulling for Trump’s longtime nemesis, Rosie O’Donnell to play Steve Bannon. One fan even asked if she’d step in for Alec Baldwin should the actor be unable to portray our current president:

And it seems like O’Donnell is game.

So, if O’Donnell does indeed get the gig, despite what Trump tweets, she will most likely not be deterred.

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