Saturday Night Live tackled Donald Trump’s indictment during the iconic sketch comedy show’s cold open on April 1.
SNL cast member James Austin Johnson reprised his spot-on role as the former U.S. president, opening the nearly seven-minute skit by referencing Taylor Swift‘s chart-topping hit “Anti-Hero.”
“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me,” Johnson’s Trump says, quoting the song’s lyrics. “Well folks, it happened. I got indicted, or as I spell it, indicated. Frankly, it’s time that I come clean, admit that I broke the law and go quietly to prison. April Fools! That was a prank, I was doing a Jim from Office.”
“Anti-Hero,” from Swift’s latest album, Midnights, spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 2022.
“Make no mistake. What the radical left democrats are doing to me is worse than any crime I’ve ever committed, and I’ve committed a lot. Close to 34.”
Trump, an early front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, faces charges related to hush money payments to women during his 2016 campaign, according to the Associated Press.
In the sketch, Johnson’s Trump notes that he’s been opening his rallies with the song “Justice for All,” a recording by Trump and the J6 Prison Choir. “It was the number one downloaded song, we beat ‘Flowers’ by Miley (Cyrus), which as we all know is about Liam (Hemsworth),” he says.
“Justice for All” entered Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart at No. 1 in late March.
Since the song brought in so much money, Johnson’s Trump says he will be releasing an album, hilariously titled Now That’s What I Call My Legal Defense Fund (aka Trump Bopz). The faux project will feature “all the hits,” including The Black Crowes’ “Hard to Handle,” Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ “Islands in the Stream” (a duet with Don King), Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic,” Afroman’s “Because I Got High,” and Ice Spice and PinkPantheress’ “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” (another duet with Donald Trump Jr.).
Saturday’s episode of SNL featured Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson as host and first-time musical guest Lil Yachty.
Watch SNL‘s “Trump Indictment Cold Open” below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
