In its cold open, Saturday Night Live skewered President Donald Trump over his surprise attack on Iran — portraying it as both a blatant violation of his campaign promise and a desperate attempt to distract from the Epstein files.
The latest episode began with Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, played by Colin Jost, appearing at a press conference to address the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, which began during the early morning hours on Saturday.
“I launched this attack after me and my Board of Peace decided we were bored of peace,” Johnson’s Trump told the audience, referencing the committee of world leaders established by the president last month.
“As we all know, Iran has been two weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon for like the last 15 years or something, so we had to act now,” Johnson’s Trump continued, adding, “War, what is it good for? Distracting from the Epstein files!”
The SNL star then mocked the Republican president for seemingly abandoning his campaign-trail stance, where he had vowed to end “forever wars” and claimed former Vice President Kamala Harris was “guaranteed” to start World War III.
“A year ago on the campaign trail I promised no new foreign wars,” Johnson’s Trump said. “But listen, wars [is] plural, right. I’m allowed to do one. [I] can do one foreign war, and possibly one civil…”
Soon after, Jost’s Hegseth took the stage, carrying an energy drink, which he promised was non-alcoholic.
“They asked for someone to volunteer to oversee this half baked operation, and I didn’t walk. I ran,” he said, sparking laughter from the audience.
He then addressed the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died following the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.
“Bottom line, all of you should be thanking us we took out a horrendous horrible leader who was oppressing his own people,” Jost’s Hegseth said. Johnson’s Trump quickly chimed in: “Don’t get any ideas!”
The hastily assembled cold open came just hours after Trump announced a major military operation in Iran. U.S. and Israeli forces bombarded government and military sites across the Middle Eastern nation, killing hundreds of people, according to state media. In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes across the region, sparking fears of a broader war.
Trump has vowed to continue the strikes for weeks — if not longer.
