Nikki Haley roasts Trump, Biden in surprise 'SNL' cameo
Republican presidential hopeful and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks during a campaign event at Forest Fire BBQ in Hilton Head, South Carolina, on February 1, 2024. (Photo by ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images)
Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley made a cameo on Saturday Night Live! this weekend as she tries to drum up support ahead of the primary in her home state of South Carolina.
Haley appeared in a fake CNN South Carolina town hall sketch that featured a fake former President Donald Trump, played by cast member James Austin Johnson, taking questions from the audience.
The town hall moderator (Kenan Thompson) introduces an audience member as "a concerned South Carolina voter," which turns out to be Haley asking, "Why won’t you debate Nikki Haley?"
"Oh, my god, it's her! The woman who was in charge of security on Jan. 6... Nancy Pelosi!" fake Trump replied, an apparent nod to Trump recently confusing Haley for Pelosi.
Haley took a jab at Trump’s mental competency, then later used a joke about "The Sixth Sense" and Trump seeing "dead people" to harp on Trump and President Joe Biden’s ages: "Yeah, that's what voters will say if they see you and Joe on the ballot."
Haley was later roasted by guest host Ayo Edebiri, who resurrected Haley’s recent gaffe about slavery and the Civil War.
"I was just curious, what would you say was the main cause of the Civil War, and do you think it starts with an 's' and ends with a 'lavery?' Edebiri asked, to which Haley replied, "Yep, I probably should have said that the first time."
RELATED: Nikki Haley says Trump in mental 'decline,' claims 'he's not at the same level' as 2016
In December, Haley was asked at a New Hampshire town hall about the reason for the Civil War, and she didn’t mention slavery in her response. Haley talked about the role of government, replying that it involved "the freedoms of what people could and couldn’t do."
She walked back her comments hours later, with her campaign disseminating a Thursday morning radio interview in which she said, "Of course the Civil War was about slavery," something she called "a stain on America."
Haley, the former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor, has refused so far to drop out of the race to become the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, despite Trump’s dominance in the Iowa and New Hampshire GOP presidential primaries.
RELATED: South Carolina primary is Democrats’ first this election, giving Biden unsurprising win
Trump could embarrass Haley in her home state later in the month: A Washington Post-Monmouth University poll places Trump with a 26 point lead in the state.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.