Saturday Night Live opened with a sharp critique of President Donald Trump, targeting his unexpected military action against Iran as a clear breach of his campaign promises and a clumsy diversion from the Epstein files.
The sketch featured Trump, portrayed by James Austin Johnson, alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, played by Colin Jost, at a press conference discussing the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that commenced early Saturday morning.
“I launched this attack after me and my Board of Peace decided we were bored of peace,” Johnson’s Trump quipped, alluding to the committee of global leaders he had formed the previous month.
“As we all know, Iran has been two weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon for like the last 15 years or something, so we had to act now,” he continued, adding with a smirk, “War, what is it good for? Distracting from the Epstein files!”
In a humorous twist, the SNL cast lampooned Trump for seemingly abandoning his earlier campaign rhetoric, where he had promised to end "forever wars" and claimed that former Vice President Kamala Harris was "guaranteed" to ignite World War III.
“A year ago on the campaign trail I promised no new foreign wars,” Johnson’s Trump stated. “But listen, wars [is] plural, right? I'm allowed to do one. [I] can do one foreign war, and possibly one civil…”
Jost’s Hegseth then took center stage, brandishing an energy drink he assured was non-alcoholic. “They asked for someone to volunteer to oversee this half-baked operation, and I didn't walk. I ran,” he declared, eliciting laughter from the audience.
He proceeded to address the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes. “Bottom line, all of you should be thanking us we took out a horrendous horrible leader who was oppressing his own people,” Jost’s Hegseth remarked. Johnson’s Trump quickly interjected: “Don’t get any ideas!”
This hastily crafted cold open aired just hours after Trump announced a significant military operation in Iran. U.S. and Israeli forces targeted government and military installations throughout the nation, resulting in hundreds of casualties according to state media reports. In retaliation, Iran launched counterstrikes across the region, raising concerns about an escalating conflict.
Trump has pledged to sustain these military actions for weeks — if not longer.
