text: When Kristen Stewart and Alec Baldwin each took their shots at Donald Trump last Saturday night, a certain segment of the population waited for the president to explode on Twitter the next morning. “Every Sunday morning is a countdown until Trump tweets about SNL,” comedian Kumail Nanjiani joked. But Trump has kept mum on that subject so far, restricting his messages to the Super Bowl and undermining the U.S. judicial system. In the end, however, it wasn’t Baldwin or Stewart who reportedly got under Trump’s skin: it was Melissa McCarthy’s brilliant and enormously popular take on Sean Spicer. And now Trump’s decade-long foe, Rosie O’Donnell, is offering to help finish the job. 
   
   Press Secretary Spicer is already on record as being casually displeased with McCarthy’s bullish, bombastic impression of him. He told Extra that McCarthy “needs to slow down on the gum chewing; way too many pieces in there” but generously called the show “really funny.” But according to Politico, it wasn’t the gum chewing that displeased Trump. “More than being lampooned as a press secretary who makes up facts,” a source close to Trump told the Web site, “it was Spicer’s portrayal by a woman that was most problematic in the president’s eyes.” Even worse, the potentially emasculating portrayal is allegedly “not considered helpful for Spicer’s longevity in the grueling, high-profile job in which he has struggled to strike the right balance between representing an administration that considers the media the ‘opposition party,’ and developing a functional relationship with the press.” 
   
   Throughout his campaign, Trump made it clear that he has certain expectations when it comes to gender. He memorably kicked off a feud with former Fox News correspondent Megyn Kelly when she asked him about his attitude toward women during a primary debate. Kelly’s perceived aggression prompted Trump to later claim she had “blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever,” and to refer to her as a “lightweight” on Twitter. 
   
   But the nastiest, gendered feud of Trump’s career (if you don’t count the 2016 election) is the public battle he’s fought with Rosie O’Donnell. Starting in 2006, when O’Donnell made disparaging remarks about the future president on The View, Trump told People, “Rosie’s a loser. A real loser. I look forward to taking lots of money from my nice fat little Rosie.” Like his odd fixation with Kristen Stewart, Trump’s public bullying of O’Donnell has continued for a surprisingly long period of time—a decade and counting—and he has taken every possible occasion to take shots at her. The president sometimes bent over backward to include an O’Donnell insult in completely unrelated conversations . . . 
   
   . . . or even nationally televised debates. “Probably the Trump stuff was the most bullying I ever experienced in my life, including as a child,” O’Donnell told People in 2016. “It was national, and it was sanctioned societally. Whether I deserved it is up to your own interpretation.” 
   
   Given their combative history, it should come as no surprise that O’Donnell would want to help S.N.L. pile on to its increasingly confrontational portrayal of the president and his close circle. When news circulated late Monday night that Trump’s biggest issue with S.N.L.’s Spicer sketch was McCarthy’s gender, someone floated the idea that perhaps his old nemesis, Rosie O’Donnell, should play Trump’s top adviser: Steve Bannon. And as that idea picked up steam on Twitter, it made its way to O’Donnell herself, who was immediately game. 
   
   The person currently portraying Bannon on Saturday nights is new cast member Mikey Day, who—in full Grim Reaper drag—whispers demonically bad ideas into Baldwin’s Trump’s ear, forcing the president to sit at a miniature desk while he takes the seat of power in the Oval Office. But as TV critic Alan Sepinwall notes, Trump might actually view this depiction of Bannon as a twisted compliment: 
   
   Portraying Bannon as the Grim Reaper doesn’t seem to have gotten Bannon into the same hot water the Politico article suggests Spicer is now in. Being told that your top adviser is evil is an easy joke, and maybe even something to be taken as a point of pride, given how much Trump and Bannon both like to brag about crushing their enemies. But portray Bannon at his biggest and sloppiest — while still forcing the classy POTUS himself to sit at the little desk — and that’s something that might actually make Trump question his trust in the man. 
   
   Mikey Day’s version of Bannon—though demonically evil—is powerful. But on the subject of McCarthy as Spicer, a “top Trump donor” observed to Politico: “Trump doesn’t like his people to look weak.” 
   
   Trump has time and again betrayed a curious obsession with body image. The Washington Post has a fairly exhaustive rundown of Trump’s many targets, which have included Jennifer Lopez, Chris Christie, Kim Kardashian West, former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, and, of course, O’Donnell. One suspects this evident preoccupation may have also played a role in Trump’s allegedly negative reaction to McCarthy, who launched a successful plus-sized clothing line in 2015 and often wears her own designs on the red carpet. So holding up O’Donnell—whom Trump has called a “fat pig” in the past—as a mirror to Bannon does seem like a perfectly crafted blow. 
   
   It seems unlikely that S.N.L. will tap O’Donnell for the part. The show doesn’t often cast its roles by committee. But O’Donnell—a plus-size, gay woman—stepping into the role of the power behind Trump’s throne might just be the thing to send the president over the edge. (If that’s the goal.) And given the president’s recent reaction to whispers about the power Bannon holds over him (“I call my own shots,” he tweeted Monday morning in response to a New York Times article detailing Bannon’s supposed sway), Trump may already be teetering on the brink. 
   
   VIDEO: What the Explosive Start of Saturday Night Live Was Actually Like ||||| poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201702/3515/1155968404_5312146791001_5312135519001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true White House rattled by McCarthy's spoof of Spicer Trump 'doesn't like his people to look weak,' a top Trump donor said. 
   
   As the press secretary for a president who's obsessed with how things play on cable TV, Sean Spicer’s real audience during his daily televised press briefings has always been an audience of one. 
   
   And the devastating “Saturday Night Live” caricature of Spicer that aired over the weekend — in which a belligerent Spicer was spoofed by a gum-chomping, super soaker-wielding Melissa McCarthy in drag — did not go over well internally at a White House in which looks matter. 
   
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   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. And the unflattering send-up by a female comedian was not considered helpful for Spicer’s longevity in the grueling, high-profile job in which he has struggled to strike the right balance between representing an administration that considers the media the "opposition party," and developing a functional relationship with the press. 
   
   "Trump doesn't like his people to look weak," added a top Trump donor. 
   
   Trump’s uncharacteristic Twitter silence over the weekend about the “Saturday Night Live” sketch was seen internally as a sign of how uncomfortable it made the White House feel. Sources said the caricature of Spicer by McCarthy struck a nerve and was upsetting to the press secretary and to his allies, who immediately saw how damaging it could be in Trump world. 
   
   Spicer on Monday was traveling aboard Air Force One from Florida to Washington, D.C., and gamely shrugged off the spoof that was playing in loops on cable news throughout the day. 
   
   McCarthy “needs to slow down on the gum chewing; way too many pieces in there,” he joked in an interview with Extra. 
   
   And on Monday, Spicer’s allies were trying to put a happy face on the incident. "He takes the job seriously but doesn't take himself that seriously," said a person close to Spicer, who said he also understood the instant-viral skit helped him reach a new level of fame. "He knows that put him up on the stratosphere of recognition on a level," this person said. "You've got to embrace it." 
   
   But on Tuesday, Spicer has the uncomfortable task of facing reporters once again in the briefing room — where the elephant in the room will be the unflattering McCarthy caricature. 
   
   White House sources said they expect him to cut the tension with humor, and that he has already been on a charm offensive before the "SNL" skit, knowing he has relations to repair with the press. 
   
   Spicer has reached out to some reporters, in recent days, simply to wish them a happy birthday. Speaking at a forum at George Washington University last week, Spicer was self-effacing, making fun of his first stumble out of the gate, where even his ill-fitting suit was criticized by the boss. “I looked at my suit choice and made some changes there," he joked. 
   
   But Spicer for weeks now has been fighting to repair his troubling first impression behind the lectern — he is still operating under a cloud that he created when he took no questions and made false statements about the crowd size at Trump’s inauguration, losing some of his credibility with the room of reporters he faces off with every day. Internally, people close to Trump are eager to point out that Spicer was also not Trump’s first choice for the high-profile position of press secretary, but that chief of staff Reince Priebus pushed for the former Republican National Committee spokesman to get the job. 
   
   Spicer has taken the role seriously; in the final weeks during the transition, he was participating in mock briefing sessions to get ready for his on-camera performances. Since Jan. 20, Spicer has had the added difficulty of doing two jobs at once: He is acting as communications director on top of his job as press secretary, while the administration seeks to fill the former job. Senior White House officials Kellyanne Conway and Hope Hicks still attend the daily briefings and sit on the side to watch him — a move some interpreted as a sign that Spicer still needs supervision. 
   
   The “SNL” clip was seen by some in Trump’s orbit as devastating because it was accurate. “I thought they had Sean down pretty good,” said one Trump ally, who thought Spicer has been set up in an impossible position. 
   
   In a phone interview on Monday afternoon, Spicer tried to tack away from the skit. "I would much rather have the focus be on the president's agenda and the success he's having,” he said. “That's all I'm saying on it." When pressed about what his own reaction to the skit was, he demurred. “It doesn’t really matter what I think.” ||||| Lorne Michaels, your phone is ringing. 
   
   Rosie O’Donnell, longtime nemesis of President Donald Trump, trended on Twitter late Monday as “Saturday Night Live” fans urged the show to cast her in a key role. 
   
   Some suggested O’Donnell play White House chief strategist Steve Bannon while others ― no doubt remembering her 2006 impression of Trump on “The View” (above) ― were hoping she could play the president himself. 
   
   The tweets were inspired by Melissa McCarthy’s unforgettable portrayal of White House press secretary Sean Spicer last Saturday, which drew rave reviews from fans. 
   
   But at least one loyal viewer wasn’t very happy about the skit. Politico reported that Trump didn’t like that Spicer was played by a woman, which led to calls for more women playing Trump administration figures on the show, starting with O’Donnell: 
   
   O’Donnell replied: 
   
   available - if called i will serve !!! https://t.co/LT84EJjfsw — ROSIE (@Rosie) February 7, 2017 
   
   Someone even came up with an image of what she might look like in the role: 
   
   Others want O’Donnell to portray Trump. 
   
   “SNL” already has a memorable Trump impersonator in Alec Baldwin. However, the actor told The New York Times in December that due to upcoming film roles, his appearances in future skits will be intermittent. 
   
   So could O’Donnell play the president when Baldwin is off? She certainly doesn’t seem opposed to that idea: 
   
   Trump, @Rosie, was upset that a staffer was played by a woman, and you do a great impression of him. Willing to take one for the team? — Calvin Enemy Philips (@calvininsf) February 7, 2017 
   
   @calvininsf - i am here to serve - alec has trump - melissa has spice - i would need a few days to prepare - so if called - i will be ready — ROSIE (@Rosie) February 7, 2017 
   
   Needless to say, fans were excited by the possibility: 
   
   Dear @nbcsnl, 
   
   Now that we know for sure that being played by a woman bothers Trump: 
   
   ROSIE 
   
   ROSIE 
   
   ROSIE 
   
   ROSIE 
   
   ROSIE@Rosie 
   
   Rosie O'Donnell — Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) February 7, 2017 
   
   I vote for Rosie O'Donnell playing Bannon next. https://t.co/bEe6ybaVM6 — June (@junekazumi) February 7, 2017 
   
   Nothing against Alec Baldwin, he's been doing a great job. But imagine the steam shooting out of Trump's ears if Rosie O'Donnell plays him. — Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) February 7, 2017 
   
   Can we petition SNL to have Rosie O'Donnell play Trump next Saturday? That would put him RIGHT over the edge. https://t.co/ZIL605NMug — Brian Fitzpatrick (@therealfitz) February 7, 2017 
   
   Rosie O'Donnell as Steve Bannon? pic.twitter.com/kGDwTgn4jB — Isabel Rontini (@isabelrontini) February 7, 2017 
   
   TO DO LIST 
   
   -Rosie O'Donnell as Bannon on next week's SNL 
   
   -Massive coordinated fax machine FOIA requests for Trump tax returns — Seth Bockley (@sboke) February 7, 2017 
   
   -oh god yes please! 
   
   Rosie O’Donnell Offers to Help S.N.L. Drive Donald Trump Over the Edge https://t.co/IBgwAM4xKb — Joshua Freedman (@JoshuaFreedman6) February 7, 2017 
   
   I love Rosie O'Donnell, & for her to have the last laugh on Trump by playing him or Bannon on SNL would be poetic justice. — LIZZY (@AprilLa32529573) February 7, 2017 
   
   No but seriously can we draft Rosie O'Donnell to play Bannon on SNL? It might be the only way to save America. — Kate Cronin-Furman (@kcroninfurman) February 7, 2017 
   
   Top choices to play Trump on SNL: 
   
   
   
   1. Rosie O'Donnell 
   
   2. Meryl Streep 
   
   3. Megyn Kelly 
   
   4. Hillary Clinton — Brooklyn Spoke (@BrooklynSpoke) February 7, 2017
target: – Sean Spicer may have laughed off Melissa McCarthy's portrayal of him on Saturday Night Live, but the White House is in fact "rattled," reports Politico, noting "it was Spicer's portrayal by a woman that was most problematic in the president's eyes." As one President Trump donor puts it, "Trump doesn't like his people to look weak." Some say Trump's silence on the skit on Twitter suggests it hit a little too close to home. And though Spicer described it as "cute" and "funny," sources say he actually found it upsetting. But "it doesn't really matter what I think," Spicer tells Politico. "I would much rather have the focus be on the president's agenda and the success he's having. That's all I'm saying on it." Steve Bannon should perhaps prepare for a similar portrayal. After Saturday's skit, a fan on Twitter suggested Rosie O'Donnell should dress up as Trump to get under his skin, reports Vanity Fair. O'Donnell responded that Alec Baldwin portrays Trump and McCarthy does Spicer, but she later agreed she'd like to play Bannon, whom Mikey Day has portrayed as the Grim Reaper on SNL. "If called, I will be ready," O'Donnell tweeted. "I am here to serve." The show hasn't said if O'Donnell is likely to appear, but support is growing on Twitter, with one user suggesting such a skit would let O'Donnell "have the last laugh on Trump" after a decade-long feud, per the Huffington Post.