In a bizarre twist, the latest "Saturday Night Live" cold open took a drastic turn when its cast brought on Donald Trump to debate local mayoral candidates in New York City. The sketch cleverly poked fun at the increasingly contentious debates by incorporating Trump's over-the-top personality and singing habits.
The original candidates, Andrew Cuomo (played by host Miles Teller), Zohran Mamdani (Ramy Youssef), and Curtis Sliwa (Shane Gillis), provided a solid foundation for the satire. Cuomo joked that he was running for mayor because taking the job makes everyone hate him - a sentiment Trump has made infamous in his own career.
Mamdani, on the other hand, alternated between making awkward TikTok attempts and sporting an uncomfortable grin throughout the debate. Sliwa's character stole the show with a series of outlandish stories about being brutalized by city underworld figures, which only served to further absurdify the sketch.
However, it was Donald Trump impersonator James Austin Johnson who took center stage when he swooped in on the debate to claim that the election is really all about him. When asked about his mayoral plans, Johnson's Trump confidently declared: "It's me! They can pretend this election is about housing and taxes, but we all know it's about me."
In a particularly cringe-worthy moment, Johnson's Trump boasted about a recent cognitive test at Walter Reed, claiming he did so well that they immediately gave him an MRI. He then took a bizarre detour into the world of opera, singing "Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera and awkwardly incorporating his own face into the iconic mask.
The sketch's surreal nature left viewers scratching their heads, but its quick wit and sharp satire made for an entertaining watch. By subverting expectations and bringing on a surprise guest star, SNL managed to turn a potentially tedious debate into a laugh-out-loud spectacle that will be remembered for years to come.
The original candidates, Andrew Cuomo (played by host Miles Teller), Zohran Mamdani (Ramy Youssef), and Curtis Sliwa (Shane Gillis), provided a solid foundation for the satire. Cuomo joked that he was running for mayor because taking the job makes everyone hate him - a sentiment Trump has made infamous in his own career.
Mamdani, on the other hand, alternated between making awkward TikTok attempts and sporting an uncomfortable grin throughout the debate. Sliwa's character stole the show with a series of outlandish stories about being brutalized by city underworld figures, which only served to further absurdify the sketch.
However, it was Donald Trump impersonator James Austin Johnson who took center stage when he swooped in on the debate to claim that the election is really all about him. When asked about his mayoral plans, Johnson's Trump confidently declared: "It's me! They can pretend this election is about housing and taxes, but we all know it's about me."
In a particularly cringe-worthy moment, Johnson's Trump boasted about a recent cognitive test at Walter Reed, claiming he did so well that they immediately gave him an MRI. He then took a bizarre detour into the world of opera, singing "Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera and awkwardly incorporating his own face into the iconic mask.
The sketch's surreal nature left viewers scratching their heads, but its quick wit and sharp satire made for an entertaining watch. By subverting expectations and bringing on a surprise guest star, SNL managed to turn a potentially tedious debate into a laugh-out-loud spectacle that will be remembered for years to come.
... On one hand, it's hilarious how SNL turned a debate into a sketch and roasted Trump's ego 
... but on the other hand, can we really take it as just a joke? I mean, Trump's still out there making waves with his antics 
... and who knows what kinda impact this sketch will have on the real-life election 
... maybe it'll be a funny way to poke fun at him once again, but also might make people think he's even more out of touch than before 
... overall, I guess it's just one of those things where you gotta laugh while still keeping an eye on the bigger picture 
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i mean who else could make debating mayors look like a total circus? and can we talk about james auston johnson's trump impression? he was literally nailed 
his singing in the phantom of the opera bit was on another level lol. i love how they poked fun at the whole 'it's all about me' thing from trump's campaigns... it's just so cringeworthy when you think about it 
but yeah, the sketch was super entertaining and i'm glad snl could make us laugh even if we were all kinda confused 
james austin johnson nailed the trump impression, his character took it to a whole new level 
i mean, who knew snl had such a hidden talent for opera performances? 
and the best part is, the entire cast played along like pros, even Cuomo's joke about hating everyone when he takes office was fire 
can't wait to see what they come up with next
. But seriously, can we talk about how this is a PERFECT representation of Trump's entire career? Like, he's always been all about himself and now they're giving him an entire SNL sketch to work with 
.
I love how they took the whole mayoral debate thing and just turned it into a parody of trump's ego 
the opera part tho 
. Can't we just have real discussions with real people without all the drama and entertainment value? It's just so... fake