TV SNL: Every brilliant Kate McKinnon political impression Male or female, American or German, elected or defeated, McKinnon runs the gamut of political figures. By David Canfield David Canfield David Canfield is a former staff editor at Entertainment Weekly. He left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on September 23, 2022 03:00PM EDT Close 01 of 17 Kate McKinnon, political chameleon Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images In her legendary Saturday Night Live tenure, Kate McKinnon proved especially adept at portraying a host of high-profile political figures. Whether endearingly unpeeling Hillary Clinton's insecurities or outrageously capturing Jeff Sessions' elf-ish essence, the comedian has put together more than a dozen essential (and prescient) impressions. We've rounded them up here, ahead. 02 of 17 Hillary Clinton Dana Edelson/NBC McKinnon's iconic Hillary Clinton was an excited, intelligent ball of anxieties compounded in 2016 by her deteriorated public image. McKinnon struck a remarkable balance here, keeping Clinton sympathetic and appealing even as she spotlighted her more unflattering qualities unsparingly. 03 of 17 Jeff Sessions Will Heath/NBC Perhaps McKinnon's most frequent recurring political figure of the Donald Trump administration, the Jeff Sessions of SNL was taken to increasingly surreal places. There was, of course, the period when he was on Trump's chopping block, doing anything (even sitting on his lap) to get back in his good graces. But, later, we were back to the elfish Southern caricature boasting a devious side (and a tail). Thank goodness. 04 of 17 Kellyanne Conway Will Heath/NBC This impression evolved for the better. At the start, SNL's Kellyanne Conway was a savvy political operative who didn't take Trump seriously and hadn't fallen (or risen, depending on your perspective) to his moral level. But once Trump took office, McKinnon was absolutely brilliant tracking her descent into madness, whether in a Fatal Attraction riff opposite Anderson Cooper or a glorious Pennywise parody, with Jake Tapper as the potential victim. 05 of 17 Robert Mueller Will Heath/NBC McKinnon only portrayed Robert Mueller a handful of times during her run on the show, before Robert De Niro took over the role. This may be the first instance of McKinnon and De Niro playing the same character, but, given her versatility, possibly not the last. 06 of 17 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Will Heath/NBC Perhaps McKinnon's most broadly beloved impersonation is that of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. McKinnon played her as fair-minded, progressive, and smart — with a penchant for throwing out some killer "Gins-burns." (Hey, even Ginsburg herself endorsed them.) 07 of 17 Elizabeth Warren Will Heath/NBC Ever heard a rousingly wonky Elizabeth Warren speech? Then you know just how precisely McKinnon recreates the senator's speaking patterns, not to mention those sharp, pointy hand gestures. 08 of 17 Nancy Pelosi NBC The face here says it all. McKinnon appeared as Nancy Pelosi periodically, but her brief work in SNL's mock DNC advertisement was the best of the bunch, honing in on the disconnect between the Democrats' message and popularity in the form of one party leader's lack of excitement. 09 of 17 Betsy DeVos Will Heath/NBC In the first months of the Trump administration, Betsy DeVos was among the most lampooned incoming cabinet members. Her many speaking flubs were portrayed to hilariously extreme effect by McKinnon. 10 of 17 Debbie Wasserman Schultz Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images The former DNC chair attracted intense backlash from both sides of the political aisle during the 2016 election for her perceived favoritism of Hillary Clinton. McKinnon's take on the congresswoman didn't hold back. 11 of 17 Angela Merkel Will Heath/NBC One of McKinnon's great recurring "Weekend Update" characters was the Chancellor of Germany herself. McKinnon, accent and all, played Angela Merkel as a feminist power player who had no time for men below her level. 12 of 17 Theresa May Will Heath/NBC The unlikely Prime Minister of England was thrust into the spotlight in the aftermath of Brexit, and then again when her country needed to start publicly opposing the actions of the U.S. president. As with Merkel, this one would be worth it for the superb accent alone. 13 of 17 Ann Romney Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images McKinnon played Ann Romney through the 2012 election cycle, not long after she'd first joined the show as a featured player. Of course, this is one of a few characters on this list to have lost relevance and, as such, stopped appearing on SNL. 14 of 17 Janet Huckabee Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Another politician's wife, but one who only appeared once. McKinnon's drawling impression of Mike Huckabee's wife is seen in a commercial parody called "Ability for Candidates." 15 of 17 Kathleen Sebelius NBC This was one of McKinnon's more memorable one-offs. As President Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services in the wake of the clumsy Obamacare rollout, McKinnon's Sebelius filmed a video offering tips for how best to navigate the glitchy website. 16 of 17 Lindsey Graham NBC As she has done with Jeff Sessions, McKinnon nailed the senator's quirky, sometimes disingenuous Southern charm. 17 of 17 Rudy Giuliani Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images; Anthony Devlin/Getty Images McKinnon played the bumbling former mayor of New York City a number of times — most notably in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, when Giuliani oversaw various lawsuits as Trump's personal lawyer.