'SNL' Returns With Alec Baldwin's Scarily Perfect Donald Trump Impression

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Saturday Night Live/YouTube

Saturday Night Live came out swinging in its Season 42 premiere. The cold open (above) spoofed the first 2016 presidential debate hard, with Kate McKinnon's Hillary Clinton taking on Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump in a way that was somehow both scarier and much more enjoyable than the real thing.

"Good evening, America," said Baldwin, kicking off his new gig. "I am going to be so good tonight."

He was right. He and McKinnon nailed many of the highlights and lowlights -- the physical (Clinton's shimmy, Trump's constipated look), the verbal (Clinton's laugh and relatability, Trump's weird sniff), and the mental (Clinton's preparation, Trump's lack thereof) -- that made the candidates' first bout so deliciously painful to watch. Sean Hannity, Clinton's dad, and Rosie O'Donnell even got shout-outs in the opener, whose top-notch impressions set the tone for a strong premiere.

With the election circus in high gear, SNL made room for a couple more political sketches last night. Cecily Strong brought out her super-curious Melania to do some Winnie the Pooh-like pondering about the earthlings roaming outside Trump Tower:

And Darrell Hammond's flawless Bill Clinton -- along with Sarah Silverman (Melissa Villaseñor), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Strong), Sen. Bernie Sanders (Larry David), Kellyanne Conway (McKinnon), Ivanka Trump (host Margot Robbie), Donald Jr. (Mikey Day), Eric Trump (Alex Moffat), Gov. Chris Christie (Bobby Moynihan), and Vladimir Putin (Beck Bennett) -- dropped by for a special Trump-Clinton Family Feud:

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Saturday Night Live/YouTube

Expect a lot of this fare over the next few weeks -- especially the Baldwin-impersonated Trump. SNL honcho Lorne Michaels signed the 30 Rock actor for the rest of the season.

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Sean Fitz-Gerald is a staff writer at Thrillist Entertainment and is definitely here for Baldwin's Trump. Find him on Twitter: @srkfitzgerald.