In the cold open for the season finale of \u00ab\u00a0Saturday Night Live, \u00a0\u00bb the \u00ab\u00a0Trump administration\u00a0\u00bb bid farewell, as Alec Baldwin and other cast members sang a mournful \u00ab\u00a0Hallelujah\u00a0\u00bb around the piano. After that, another duo stepped in to fill the political void. Sort of.<\/b>
\nIn the cold open for the season finale of \u201cSaturday Night Live, \u201d the \u201cTrump administration\u201d bid farewell, as Alec Baldwin and other cast members sang a mournful \u201cHallelujah\u201d around the piano.
After that, another duo stepped in to fill the political void. Sort of.
Actor Dwayne \u201cThe Rock\u201d Johnson, who was hosting the show for a fifth time, made a dramatic announcement in his opening monologue: He was putting the persistent rumors \u2014 some fueled by his own statements \u2014 to rest \u201conce and for all.\u201d
\u201cStarting tonight, I am running for the president of the United States!\u201d Johnson thundered, to applause.
He had even chosen a running mate, he joked.
Tom Hanks stepped onto the stage and feigned embarrassment as the audience cheered his surprise appearance.
\u201cDwayne, Dwayne, I could not possibly . turn this down!\u201d Hanks said. \u201cI\u2019 ll do it!\u201d
With subtle digs at Trump, the two discussed why they would be \u201cunstoppable\u201d candidates. Johnson mused that he would have never considered running for president in the past because he didn\u2019 t think he was qualified.
\u201cBut now I\u2019 m actually worried that I\u2019 m too qualified, \u201d he said.
\u201cThe truth is, America needs us, \u201d Hanks said. \u201cNo one can seem to agree on anything anymore, except for two things.\u201d
\u201cPizza, \u201d Johnson said, \u201cand us!\u201d
The pair also pondered their universal likability: Hanks noted that he had been in two movies in which the plane crashes \u2014 \u201cand people are still excited to see me on their flight.\u201d Meanwhile, Johnson said he once ran a red light; the traffic camera footage alone made a billion dollars, he joked.
They talked demographics.
\u201cI would get the senior vote, \u201d Hanks reasoned. \u201cBecause I\u2019 ve fought in World War II in, like, 10 different movies.\u201d
\u201cAnd I, of course, would get the minority vote, \u201d Johnson said. \u201cBecause everyone just assumes that I\u2019 m, well, whatever they are.\u201d
Though the two were joking, that didn\u2019 t stop people from jumping onto the \u201cJohnson\/Hanks 2020\u2033 bandwagon. Many acknowledged it was a joke but couldn\u2019 t contain their enthusiasm about the hypothetical ticket.
Johnson finally acknowledged that they were just kidding. Or were they?
\u201cWhen it comes to politics, we need more poise and less noise, \u201d Johnson said, to cheers. \u201cAmericans deserve strong capable leaders. Leaders who care about this country and care about its people.\u201d
Hanks turned to Johnson.
\u201cUh, Dwayne, that kind of sounds like you and me, \u201d Hanks told him. \u201cI guess we got to do it. C\u2019 mon!\u201d
Behind them, a \u201cJOHNSON HANKS 2020\u2033 banner unfurled and confetti rained from above, as a band played a celebratory march.
Rumors that Johnson might launch a presidential bid have floated in the ether for some time. Though it was once an outright joke, it now occupies a space that is not quite real and yet not absurdist fantasy. And Johnson\u2019s outright acknowledgment that he has considered a political career has only fueled the speculation.
Formerly a registered Republican, Johnson is now a registered independent. He has mentioned several times in the last year that he is not ruling out a run. The rumors have reached such a pitch that Public Policy Polling actually conducted a recent survey that indicated \u201cThe Rock\u201d would lead Trump in a hypothetical 2020 election.
In a recent profile in GQ magazine, Johnson told reporter Caity Weaver that both Trump\u2019s and Hillary Clinton\u2019s campaigns had sought his endorsement. When asked how Trump was performing as president, Johnson gave a surprisingly (or perhaps unsurprisingly) meandering non-answer. He later told Weaver that he disagreed with Trump\u2019s entry ban.
\u201cI believe in our national security to the core, but I don\u2019 t believe in a \u2018ban\u2019 that bans immigrants, \u201d Johnson said, according to GQ magazine. \u201cI believe in inclusion. Our country was built on that, and it continues to be made strong by that. And the decision felt like a snap judgment.\u201d
And just a few days before the SNL season finale, Johnson appeared on \u201cThe Tonight Show, \u201d where he again teased a possible run for president.
\u201cThree and a half years is a long ways away, \u201d Johnson told host Jimmy Fallon. \u201cSo we\u2019 ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

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