“Saturday Night Live” got straight to President Trump in its cold open for this week’s episode, with James Austin Johnson’s commander-in-chief bragging from the Oval Office about the ongoing government shutdown, which has dragged on since Oct. 1.
“The Supreme Court said we could stop feeding poor people. You can clap for that. SNAP!” Trump said. “For those of you who can afford food — no, you can’t. I promised grocery prices would plummet and they did. They plummeted straight up. People are saying, ‘But sir, how will I afford my Thanksgiving turkey for my family? Well, good news is your family’s not coming because all the planes are gone.’”
The cold open was referencing the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday that allowed the Trump administration to continue paying reduced food stamp benefits.
“Anyways, government is still shut down, all thanks to the Democrats and some Republicans and all Republicans and me,” Trump continued. “We’re going to keep the government shut down. We’re looking into perhaps stealing Christmas. We’ll be doing Grinch. I like the Grinch. He’s a great guy.”
The sketch also kicked off with a recreation of an incident from Thursday, in which an Oval Office guest collapsed during Trump’s announcement of a weight loss drug cost reduction program.
“Didn’t see you there. Someone was dying in my office,” Trump began. “I think I’m playing this very normal. Just stand there and stare like a sociopath.”
The Nov. 8 episode of “Saturday Night Live” was hosted by Nikki Glaser, with musical guest Sombr.
