Alec Baldwin says he'll stop mocking Donald Trump – if he releases his tax returns

The President-elect has found time to condemn Satuday Night Live as 'not funny'

Alec Baldwin has agreed to stop mocking the President-elect on the condition that he release his tax returns.

The actor and comedian plays the role of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live, a sketch where the bombastic property tycoon appears too preoccipied with Twitter to pay attention to a national security briefing.

Mr Trump decided to express his displeasure at the characterisation on Twitter, saying: “Just tried watching Saturday Night Live — unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad,” he tweeted.

His remarks prompted criticism that he did not understand what satire was.

Mr Baldwin replied, saying he would willingly relent in his mocking of the billionaire businessman. But he added one qualification.

The Republican has consistantly resisted calls for him to release details of his tax affairs.

After The New York Times published a leaked return that revealed he could have avoided paying around a decade's worth of taxes, he said "that makes me smart".

During the show Mr Baldwin made fun of Mr Trump’s recent decision to retweet a series of unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud from his supporters — including a 16-year-old Californian boy.

"This could not wait. It was from a young man named Seth, he's 16, he's in high school, and I really did retweet him... seriously, this is real," Baldwin's Trump tells viewers.

Mr Trump used to host Saturday Night Live, yet in recent weeks he has repeatedly lashed out against satirists on the show on Twitter.

Before his victory, he tweeted calling for the show to be retired and declared that Baldwin’s impersonation “stinks”. He has also appeared to delight in calling the actor "boring and unfunny".