"Saturday Night Live" is taking on the GOP's midterms wipeout.
The sketch show's latest cold open featured James Austin Johnson as President Donald Trump reacting to the results of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, which saw Democrats take control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Analysts widely described the election as a rebuke of Trump.
The sketch began with Sarah Sherman as Chuck Schumer and Kenan Thompson as Hakeem Jeffries celebrating the Democrats' big night. Thompson's Jeffries suggested that with young Democrats feeling energized, it may be time for the pair to "step aside and pass the torch to the next generation," only for him and Sherman's Schumer to laugh hysterically and dismiss the idea.
"We flipped the house," Thompson's
Jeffries said. "We flipped the Senate. And how did we do it?"
Enter Johnson as Trump.
"Me!" he said. "That's right, the Democrats never would have won without this horrible economy and terrible war, so in the words of Moana's big fat friend, you're welcome!"
The sketch followed the usual cold open formula of Trump riffing for several minutes while cast members remained frozen behind him. He acknowledged that Republicans lost so badly in the midterms that "I didn't even say it was rigged. I accepted the results, which is almost scarier, in a way. It's like, what the hell is he planning?"
Johnson's Trump also declared that his White House ballroom is his only concern at the moment, and he bemoaned the fact that "all the rats are jumping ship." But when Colin Jost's Pete Hegseth entered, he promised not to leave Trump, asking, "Do I look like a person who gets less crazy when backed into a corner?" Hegseth also looked for reassurance that Trump won't allow Congress to impeach him.
"You won't let that happen, right?" Jost's Hegseth asked.
"Of course not," Johnson's Trump replied. "Unless I do, which I will."
The sketch ended with a major surprise cameo: After Trump complained about Democrat James Talarico, the Senator-elect from Texas himself up, drawing cheers from the show's studio audience. Talarico ended the sketch on a meta note by arguing that the "SNL" cold opens with Trump have gotten repetitive.
"I'm James Talarico, the guy who's been texting you every day asking for $5," he said. "But I think, Mr. President, if we can work together, we can make life better for everyday Americans. It's clear people want something new. They want something different. I'm talking, of course, about 'SNL's cold opens. How many of these Trump freezers are they going to do?"
During election season, Talarico's interviews on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Late Night with Stephen Colbertwere shown on YouTube rather than broadcast television due to pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the so-called equal time rule.
Trump has argued he is not to blame for Republicans' midterm losses. "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Druski hosted the Nov. 7 episode of "SNL," making history as the first digital content creator to host the show. The Strokes served as musical guest.
Druski's monologue featured the night's second surprise cameo. After he noted he just finished filming a movie with Emma Stone, the Oscar-winning actress stepped on stage.
"Emma, I loved you in 'Bugonia,'" he told her. "I just wanted to be the first Black guy to say it."
Who's hosting 'SNL' next?
"SNL" will be back for another new episode next Saturday, Nov. 14, with John Mulaney as host and Phoebe Bridgers as musical guest. That will be the last new show until after Thanksgiving.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'SNL' cold open skewers Trump over midterms, James Talarico cameos
