Saturday Night Live opened its 2026 season with a cold sketch portraying Donald Trump's 'Cabinet of Curiosities,' as James Austin Johnson reprised his impersonation of the US president. The sketch referenced the capture of ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who now faces federal drug charges, and the deployment of federal officers in Minneapolis amid mass deportation efforts.
Johnson's Trump boasted of receiving María Corina Machado's 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal as a Christmas gift and described Maduro's capture as a 'reverse Santa' operation. The sketch also reintroduced familiar cabinet caricatures, including Marcello Hernandez as a bashful Marco Rubio and Colin Jost as an aggressive Pete Hegseth drinking protein mix.
New cast member Ashley Padilla debuted as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who thanked her 'hair and makeup team, who obviously hate me.' She defended the administration's actions in Minneapolis, where a fatal shooting by ICE agents of 37-year-old Renee Good has sparked protests. Noem's character invited viewers to join ICE with sarcastic qualifications, such as having a neck wider than one's head.
The sketch also touched on threats to Iran, with Jost's Hegseth warning, 'You F with America, we're gonna F you right back,' referencing Trump's suggestion of military intervention over protester deaths. The segment underscored the show's ongoing satire of the administration's controversial policies.
