Comedy veteranChevy Chase praised Alec Baldwins impression of President Trump in a recent interview withThe Hollywood Reporter. Baldwins sneering caricature of the President was spot-on, he said. [Trump]s an ass and he is looking like an ass and hurting our country.
Chase, who identifies as a very liberal Democrat, became famous in the Seventies for his own impression of then-president Gerald Ford. But he acknowledged that his approach to Ford was very different from Baldwins take on Trump.
I am not trying to compare Alec and myself there is no comparison, I am much better looking but the way I dealt with it was make no attempt to look anything or sound anything like Gerald Ford, Chase told THR. I just wrote the stuff that was funny and then would be clumsy when it was the right time.
Though Chase played Ford for laughs, there was stinging critique beneath the humor, and he believes it had an impact on the publics perception of the President. The comedian described his mindset at the time as, whatever I can do to get [Jimmy] Carter elected, by God I am going to do it. [My impression] helped a lot, Chase added.
Chase also complimented Melissa McCarthy, who appeared on Saturday Night Live last weekto contributeher own impression of volatile White House press secretary Sean Spicer. For me, that was the best skit in what was a great show, Chase said. I am sure it affected Spicer.