Will Ferrell's George W. Bush Reemerges to Remind Us of How Awful He Was

Because the Trump presidency is so unprecedented some have begun to long for the not-so good old days of George W. Bush, but Ferrell reminds us just how awful he was.

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

January 28 2018 12:13 PM EST

July 11 2018 11:59 PM EST

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Faced with the daily onslaught of Donald Trump governing from his Twitter account that included swipes at world leaders, a cavalier approach to nuclear war, and the rolling back of rights for marginalized people, it's become easier to forget that George W. Bush was remarkably bad at his job and dangerous in his own right.

So Saturday Night Live brought back Will Ferrell as Bush to remind Americans of his horrible eight years in office.

"My approval rating is an all-time high. Donny Q. Trump came in and suddenly I'm looking pretty sweet by comparison," Ferrell's Bush says. "I want to address my fellow Americans that I was really bad. Like, historically, not good. Don't forget. We're still in two different wars that I started."

But this Bush didn't stick to Trump. He also took on Mike Pence and his crusade against LGBT people while also reminding viewers of how manipulative and calculating his V.P. Dick Cheney was.

"I've heard some complaints about Mike Pence. But if you knew half the stuff old Cheney was up to you'd take 'no cakes for gays' in a heartbeat," Ferrell says. "Some say Mike Pence is heartless. But remember, Dick Cheney was literally heartless. At this point, it's just Legos in there."