US Edition‘SNL’ Cold Open Issues Savage Takedown of Donald Trump & Pete Hegseth
SNL mocked the Trump administration’s Caribbean drug boat strikes, highlighting controversy over a follow-up strike that killed at least 84 people, amid political and legal debates.
- On Saturday, December 6, Saturday Night Live opened with a press-conference sketch starring James Austin Johnson as President Donald Trump and Colin Jost as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
- Amid controversy over the September 2 follow-up, SNL satirized U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, referencing the 'double-tap' and at least 84 reported deaths.
- The performers punctuated the satire with lines like Hegseth boasting `President Trump has my back 100%`, Johnson’s Trump dozing and dreaming of Zohran Mamdani saying, `You can freeze my rent anytime.`, and a Matt Gaetz cameo.
- Political responses ranged from a Democrat calling the footage `one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service` to Republicans defending the strikes as `righteous` while Hegseth declined to promise video release Saturday.
- The cold open leaned into surreal lines like `pretend I'm a random fishing boat and fire away` and `Operation Kill Everybody`, ending with the SNL sign-off `And live from New York, it's Saturday Night!`.
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53 Articles
'SNL' brutal cold open mocks Pete Hegseth's Venezuela boat strikes: 'Operation Kill Everyone'
The sketch also took aim at Donald Trump's health with a portrayal of the president dozing.Saturday Night Live/YouTube James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump and Colin Jost as Pete Hegseth on 'Saturday Night Live'Colin Jost recently stepped away from the "Weekend Update" desk to reprise his role as an angry, aggro Pete Hegseth.The latest episode of Saturday Night Live opened with jabs at both Donald Trump and his Defense Secretary, who in the sket…
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‘SNL’ Cold Open Issues Savage Takedown of Donald Trump & Pete Hegseth
The show took aim at the Venezuelan boat strikes, the POTUS backing the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and Trump falling asleep during press conferences.
Republican senator asked if he would vote again to confirm Pete Hegseth
Republican Senator John Curtis sits down with Dana Bash to discuss mounting pressure on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the controversial double-tap strike on an alleged drug vessel and his use of Signal to discuss sensitive war plans.
The Independent
The Independent (US)SNL cold open skewers Trump for seemingly falling asleep during meetings
“I’m very much awake,” Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, said. “Now someone quickly tell me where am I, who am I and what year might it be.”
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