‘SNL’: Donald Trump, UFOs and ‘Hotline Bling’ -- oh my!

Presidential hopeful Donald Trump took to the “Saturday Night Live” stage on Saturday to a round of applause, whether out of respect or obligation, at-home viewers will never know. But the story on social media came with little praise as many voiced their concerns over the network enlisting the businessman as host after its own severance of ties earlier this year over his unsavory comments about Mexicans.

Using a number of hashtags, including #RacismIsntFunny, #SNLDumpTrump and #BastaTrump, countless stood in virtual solidarity with the hundreds who protested outside of NBC studios calling for viewers to not watch the program.

Many believed that by the network allowing Trump to host, even after replacing him on “The Apprentice” earlier this year and electing not to broadcast the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageant, of which Trump is an owner, NBC ignored the large population of Latinos in America.

Outside of the NBC studios in New York, a number of groups representing Latino Americans and their allies formed picket lines after a petition with more than 570,000 signature delivered to NBC last week got no response. The crowd chanted: “Hey hey, ho ho, racism has got to go!”

On the West Coast, a mysterious light in the sky over Los Angeles drew concerns that UFOs were landing (though the Navy Strategic Systems Programs took credit). Countless people on Twitter hoped they were coming to take Trump.

By night’s end, Trump’s performance and the show would go uninterrupted inside -- save a Larry David cameo, as Bernie Sanders, calling Trump racist. The scripted bit played off of a claim by Los Angeles-based group Deport Racism to pay $5,000 to anyone “clearly heard saying ‘Deport Racism’ or ‘Trump is a Racist’” on Saturday’s broadcast. The group tweeted its congratulations to David shortly after the opening number.

Despite the controversy, Trump did pull in some laughs. In a parody of Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” which itself is a meme of the rapper’s dance moves, Trump showed what he can do. It was perhaps the only thing at-home audiences enjoyed.

Twitter: @TrevellAnderson