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Last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live kicked off with a sharp and humorous cold open, skewering Donald Trump’s recent press conference held aboard Air Force One.
The sketch sets the scene with a voiceover reminiscent of a classic holiday tale: “On a chilly December night, soaring high above the world, travels a jolly man of notable size. Visiting every home under the sun in his magical sleigh… Air Force One.”
In this parody, SNL cast member Ashley Padilla steps into the role of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, setting the stage for James Austin Johnson to make an entrance as Donald Trump. Emerging from behind a curtain, Johnson’s Trump greets the press with his trademark bravado, quipping, “Yes, hello, it’s your favorite president. Hiding behind my curtain, ooh! Peek behind the curtain—something I enjoyed doing at Miss Teen USA in 1997.”
In a display of chaotic humor, Johnson’s Trump announces to the press that he has taken both Ambien and Adderall, paving the way for a series of off-the-wall antics. These include fawning over his young blonde aide (“it’s giving Michigan football coach”), toying with the plane’s curtain, and delivering rambling responses that bounce from one outlandish reference to the next.
For instance, when Andrew Dismukes, portraying another reporter, inquires about the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast last Wednesday, Johnson’s Trump responds with gusto: “Yes! We’re doing pirate now. Arrr! Last week, I said Somalis were garbage, and now we’re stealing the ships. Ironic, isn’t it? Alanis! She’s great in Dogma. She’s at the end.”
Then, after quoting Captain Phillips and proclaiming his love for Cap’n Crunch, Johnson’s Trump asserts that the US government is now targeting suspected drug planes, before showing a “declassified video from a strike” that depicts Santa Claus and his reindeer getting blown up.
Brushing past the big man in red’s demise, Johnson’s Trump disses the Warner Bros. studio tour and then pivots to commenting on the Jeffrey Epstein photos recently released by House Democrats. “Look, the fact is, these photos are a fake-news Democrat host, okay?”
When new cast member Tommy Brennan pushes back to ask if this includes the picture of a bowl of condoms with Trump’s face on it and the words, “I’m huge,” Johnson’s Trump suddenly changes his tune. “They’re 100% legit. I love those files. I’m in the files, I took a lot of great pictures!”
Watch the full cold open above.