SNL Delivers Scathing Satire of Trump's Prize Obsessions in Latest Cold Open
In a biting political satire, Saturday Night Live has returned with a cold open sketch that mercilessly targets President Trump's well-documented fixation on winning awards and recognition. The sketch, which aired this weekend, presented a surreal Trump-themed awards ceremony where the president himself was both host and primary contender across numerous categories.
A Bizarro World Awards Show
The sketch, titled "The Trumps," served as a distorted mirror to the actual awards circuit, arriving shortly after the real President Trump hosted the Kennedy Center honors at the arts institution he recently renamed after himself. Played with uncanny accuracy by James Austin Johnson, Trump opened the fictional ceremony surrounded by golden statues of himself, declaring: "It truly is an honor to be here hosting The Trumps after that lady whose name I already forgot gave me her Nobel Prize."
Johnson's Trump continued with characteristic bluster: "I thought I needed more awards. And after what all my little freaks and psychos at ICE have been doing, I need more distractions. Look, everything's gold and shiny." The performance included references to the president's frequently bruised hands, with Trump quipping: "My doctors say if I clap both my dead purple hands will explode with blood. It's probably nothing to worry about."
Prize-Stealing and Cabinet Mockery
The sketch's first award category—best picture of Trump—featured nominations including the president's peculiar flag-hugging photo from CPAC, his appearance in Epstein files documentation, an image of him staring blankly as a man collapsed at the White House, and footage of him receiving a fictional FIFA peace prize created after his Nobel disappointment. When Trump won this category, he delivered a parody of Sally Field's famous Oscar speech, exclaiming: "I love me! I really love me!"
The satire expanded to include impressions of prominent figures. Marcello Hernández portrayed Argentinian president Javier Milei discussing the best foreign film category (winner "nada"), only for Trump to rush the stage declaring: "I'm taking this award, I'm taking Greenland, and I'm taking Zootopia." This referenced both Trump's real-world interest in acquiring Greenland and his frustration over Nobel prize rejections.
Further mockery targeted Trump's cabinet, with the sketch showing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accepting an award for "best kiss—of Trump's ass" before being interrupted by the president himself. Trump then thanked his "long-time agent," the Norse trickster god Loki, adding another layer of absurdity to the proceedings.
Broader Political Commentary
The sketch concluded with Mike Myers reprising his Elon Musk impression to present a comedy achievement award, followed by a musical number honoring everything Trump had allegedly destroyed over the past year. The list included the White House East Wing, DEI initiatives, civil rights protections, constitutional checks and balances, and even Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
While the cold open made passing reference to Trump's immigration crackdown, it notably avoided direct mention of that morning's fatal shooting in Minneapolis where Border Patrol agents killed U.S. citizen Alex Pretti. This omission follows last week's decision to cut a sketch mocking immigration agents from cast member Tommy Brennan due to time constraints.
The satire cleverly connected to recent real-world developments, including leaked messages suggesting Trump's Greenland ambitions were linked to his Nobel frustrations. The sketch referenced how Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado had symbolically given her Nobel to Trump during a White House visit earlier this month after he warned he "no longer feels an obligation to think purely of peace" following his prize rejection.
Saturday Night Live continues its tradition of political satire with this latest offering, using humor to critique presidential vanity, immigration policies, and the dynamics of Trump's administration while navigating contemporary sensitivities around real-world events.
