Another Trump target returns

'SNL,' which has long been a subject of the president's ire, is back for its 51st season.

- BY KAITLYN HUAMANI

ALEC BALDWIN impersonates President Trump during an “SNL” cold open in a January 2017 episode.

(WILL HEATH NBC)

President Trump has said many things about "Saturday Night Live" over the years. Few of them are favorable, highlighting his disdain for the late-night sketch comedy show, though his previous stints as host would suggest otherwise.

The president hosted the show in 2004 and in 2015, shortly after announcing his first run for president. The decision to have him host "SNL" in 2015 was controversial at the time, but NBC's top brass defended the move, citing his front-runner status among Republicans and the high ratings it produced. "At the end of the day, he was on the show for 11 minutes and ... it wasn't like the Earth fell off its axis," said then-NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt during the Television Critics Assn. press tour in 2016. He would later call Trump "toxic" and "demented."

Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly said he believes the show is unfunny, lacks talent and is "just a political ad for the Dems" nowadays. The sentiment echoes comments he's made about late-night talk show hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel and their respective shows, each known for skewering Trump. With Season 51 of "Saturday Night Live" set to begin Saturday, and recent settlements with media outlets and tech companies making headlines YouTube settled a Trump lawsuit for nearly $25 million Monday over the suspension of his account - a renewed focus will be on the show and how it spoofs the president and his policies.