During the December 20 episode of 'Saturday Night Live,' James Austin Johnson portrayed President Donald Trump in a cold open that mocked his recent holiday address and other controversies. The sketch targeted Trump's primetime speech, the release of additional Epstein files, and his announcement of the 'Patriot Games' for elite high school athletes.
Johnson's Trump quipped about the Patriot Games, saying, 'I'm getting my own Hunger Games... because I thought, 'What's the best way to distract from the Epstein files?' I know, invite a bunch of teenagers to my house!' The parody also took aim at Trump's dismissal of economic concerns, with Johnson saying, 'The economy is fine... It's getting closer to fine. Indigo Girls. They were one of my favorite lesbian folk rock duos. I believe that was Melissa Etheridge and, I want to say, Elton John.'
The sketch further mocked Trump's plan to rename the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the 'Trump Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.' Johnson's Trump added, 'I'm actually going to be renaming a number of our other monuments as well... People are saying, 'Why are you putting your name on so many buildings?' And I say it's because we had to take it off of so many files, Epstein redacted. We had so many Trumps in there!'
