Saturday Night Live cast members sarcastically praised Donald Trump’s victory and debuted a new version of the former president — “hot, jacked Trump” — to avoid being put on his “enemies list” in the first post-election episode.
In the cold open, SNL cast members held their hands clasped, appearing to be on the verge of delivering a somber message to the audience about Trump’s election victory — but instead they delivered a message to the president-elect himself: “We have been with you all along.”
The cast claimed to have been Trump supporters all along, playing into his election fraud claims, acting disappointed there was no second Capitol riot, and blaming the “lamestream media, Michael Che” for spinning his words.
“If you’re keeping some sort of list of your enemies, then…” Kenan Thompson began before Marcello Hernández cut in: “We should not be on it.”
Heidi Gardner went so far as to say she “voted for [Trump] 50 times in Pennsylvania” while Ego Nwodim said: “92 per cent of Black women voted for Kamala, but I was one of the proud eight per cent.” The cast even promised to introduce a new impression of the former president: “hot, jacked Trump.”
That’s when James Austin Johnson, the cast’s star Trump impersonator, walked on with vein-popping, bulky arms and a red tie wrapped around his forehead. “That’s right, it’s me, hot, jacked Trump. They finally got the body right,” he said in Trumpian cadence while flexing his biceps.
He said: “From now on, we’re going to do a very flattering portrayal of Trump because he’s frankly, my hero, and he’s going to make an incredible president and eventually king!”
The cast then of course referred to Trump’s new right-hand man: Elon Musk.
Thompson said: “If our planet falls apart, we can all go to Mars with the other man that we love and trust: Elon Musk.” Dana Carvey popped onto the stage, jumping up and down with his hands in the air, channeling Musk’s enthusiasm from Trump’s second Butler rally.
While wearing a black MAGA cap, he spoke in a jumbled voice: “But seriously, I run the country now.”
As Carvey bounced off the stage chanting “USA! USA!”, the cast then spoke directly to young men.
“To all the young men who helped elect Trump and Elon, we know you’ve felt unseen these past four years,” Hernández said.
Bowen Yang then added: “So we say to you: Young men, there’s no need to feel down.”
Thompson then said: “Young men, pick yourself off the ground.”
Then Nwodim chimed in with “Young men, time to put on your crown” before the whole cast started singing the Village People’s “YMCA,” Donald Trump’s rally anthem.