In a recent episode of Saturday Night Live, President Trump became the subject of satire following the release of heavily-redacted Epstein files. The show’s cold open took a sharp jab at the situation, sparking discussions among viewers.

Comedian James Austin Johnson stepped into the role of Trump, adding a festive twist to the sketch show. He humorously targeted the president’s self-proclaimed status as the ‘most transparent in history,’ a claim made in the wake of the latest Epstein documents release.

The Justice Department’s evidence dump on Friday included hundreds of pages, many of which were significantly redacted. This fueled accusations against Trump, suggesting he might have had a hand in obscuring his involvement, as his name appeared infrequently throughout the documents.

In character, Johnson’s Trump declared, “We released all the files, and I come out looking, frankly, very good.” His portrayal stood humorously beside a prop file labeled with redactions, leaving only the phrase “Trump Didn’t Do Nothing Bad” visible. He quipped, “We had to redact a few sensitive things, but you’ll get the gist here.”

Stood next to a large file with redactions around the words ‘Trump Didn’t Do Nothing Bad’, he added: ‘We had to redact a few sensitive things, but you’ll get the gist here.’ 

‘See, it’s all there. Can you believe it?’ he continued.  

‘With regard to files, we’re being very transparent… Because Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible man, and I didn’t know him, and I liked him a lot.’ 

The bit divided opinions as conservatives criticized SNL writers for the snow’s declining viewership and the sketch’s failure to mention former Democratic President Bill Clinton also appearing throughout the latest Epstein files release.   

President Trump was mocked by Saturday Night Live’s James Austin Johnson for the heavily-redacted Epstein files release in a divisive cold open this week 

Johnson ridiculed Trump’s release of the Epstein Files as he next to a large image with redactions around the words ‘Trump Didn’t Do Nothing Bad’, as he joked: ‘We had to redact a few sensitive things, but you’ll get the gist here’ 

The SNL cold open also took aim at Trump’s recent moves to rename the iconic Kennedy Center to add his own name to the facade. 

‘We are renaming the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which will now be called the Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts No Homo,’ he quipped.  

Johnson’s Trump jokes that he was renaming so many government buildings after himself because his administration ‘had to take it off so many files.’ 

‘We had to put them somewhere,’ he said. 

Showing images of historic sites with the president’s name on them, he continued: ‘“I’m actually going to be renaming a number of our other monuments as well…Trump-Washington Monument…Trump Lincoln Memorial.’ 

Johnson’s Trump went on to mock the president’s habit of losing his train of thought and zig-zagging between talking points, including his frequent references to taking cognitive tests. 

‘I’m doing my own version of Nativity now, where kings from the Middle East bring gifts for me, like gold and airplane and casino deal in Dubai,’ he said. 

‘But unlike nativity, they’re not showing up on camel. And I know camel, I know it very well. I know it from my mandatory daily cognitive test.

‘I always get camel right. It’s bumpy horse, that’s how I know camel, bumpy horse.’ 

Johnson’s Trump impression was criticized by supporters of the president, with one self-described MAGA fan describing it on X as ‘as weak & pitiful as SNL has ever been’

Johnson’s Trump impression was criticized by supporters of the president, with one self-described MAGA fan describing it on X as ‘as weak & pitiful as SNL has ever been.’

‘The ideas, the writing & delivery of those ideas & writing is worse than it’s ever been. Turn out the lights, lock the doors & turn that block of time into showing more entertaining TV. Paint drying & grass growing,’ they wrote in response to the SNL sketch on X. 

Another wrote sarcastically: ‘I’m starting to think this show is biased. 

‘Clinton, Michael Jackson, Reiner, a Conan O’Brien Christmas party, how did they miss this the jokes could’ve wrote themselves,’ they added. 

Others accused SNL of omitting Bill Clinton’s place in the Epstein files as the show took aim solely at Trump. 

‘They should do a skit on why Biden didn’t release the files if so damaging to Trump…. Or even better, one that portrays the Clinton’s,’ one observer wrote. 

‘I miss SNL being humorous…..’