In Dworkin Report podcast, SNL sketch actor wonders what ‘retribution’ will look like, and jokes about jail for Trump Jr

Alec Baldwin has spoken of his fear that Donald Trump is stirring up some supporters to exact “retribution” against him for his satirical performance of the president on Saturday Night Live, saying the president “signals people” to become angry and bitter “and then the actions flow from there”.

The actor also offered a joking reply to Donald Trump Jnr who tweeted that Baldwin’s claims he was afraid for his safety were “bullshit”, saying the president’s son would have “a lot of time to watch SNL” in prison.

Baldwin reprised his role as the president last week in a sketch that parodied Trump’s press conference announcing a national emergency over his plans to build a border wall with Mexico. The performance angered the president, who responded on Twitter by saying there was “nothing funny about tired Saturday Night Live on Fake News NBC!” The president asked how the networks got away with shows like this “without retribution … very unfair and should be looked into”.

Alec Baldwin tweets back as Donald Trump talks of 'retribution' for SNL Read more

In characteristic capitals, he added: “THE RIGGED AND CORRUPT MEDIA IS THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE!”

In an interview for the podcast the Dworkin Report on Wednesday night, Baldwin told host Scott Dworkin, a self-described member of the resistance against Trump, the president’s tweet was the first time he had had cause to fear for his or his family’s safety.

“People would say to me early on, do you have any concerns about retaliation, not necessarily from the government or from Trump, but from his agitators?” said Baldwin. “I always said not really, I didn’t really think that was something that was real, until now, when he made this comment about retribution and he thought SNL should be investigated.”

Baldwin said the president’s hostile language functioned as “codes”.

“Trump signals people, not necessarily what to do, but how to feel, and that’s the beginning. The beginning is you make people angry, the beginning is you make people agitated and bitter and then the actions flow from there.”

On Sunday, Baldwin responded to the president’s tweets asking whether “a sitting president exhorting his followers that my role in a TV comedy qualifies me as an enemy of the people constitutes a threat to my safety and that of my family?”

In reply, Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jnr, tweeted “spare everyone your bullshit Alec!”

Baldwin told Dworkin it was “nearly impossible” to predict what would happen with the Mueller investigation.

“Nobody has any idea, but in the way that people have this silly parlour game where they speculate as to what’s going to happen, Trump may not go down, he may not go to prison, he may not be impeached, but it sure looks like his son’s going to be indicted ... and unless he’s pardoned, he’ll go to prison and I guess he’ll have a lot of time to watch SNL then.”