Why Did ‘SNL’ Abandon the One Trump Joke That Was Actually Funny?
Saturday Night Live did the impossible after the presidential election last November — the show came up with an original take on Donald Trump. That’s harder than it sounds. The list of comedians who do a Trump impression is exhausting, including Shane Gillis, Alec Baldwin, Jimmy Fallon, Trevor Noah, and Matt Friend. SNL has been writing sketches about the guy since the 1980s, when Phil Hartman did the job. In theory, all Trump jokes should have been exhausted.
But in SNL’s first cold open after the election, several cast members gathered on stage to take a different approach. Rather than directly ridiculing whatever upsetting bullshit Trump perpetrated in the latest news cycle, Bowen Yang, Ego Nwodim and company bowed to kiss the ring.
“We would like to say to Donald Trump,” said Kenan Thompson, “we have been with you all along.”
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Yang doubled down. “We have never wavered in our support of you, even when others doubted you.”
“Every single person on this stage believed in you,” promised Sarah Sherman.
“Every single person on this stage,” said Marcello Hernandez, “voted for you.”
“Because we see ourselves in you,” assured Nwodim. “We look at you and think, that's me.”
This time around, there was no Baldwin in orange pancake makeup, pursing his lips and making Trump look like a clown. Instead, it was James Austin Johnson as Hot Jacked Trump, reflecting back the muscle-bound, testosterone-fueled self that the President apparently sees when he looks in the mirror.
Sure, it was a visual joke. Johnson was guaranteed a laugh when he strutted on stage with those veiny, bulging biceps. It’s a one-time laugh — once audiences got a load of Hot Jacked Trump, the mere sight of him in subsequent sketches wouldn’t inspire the same shock response.
But the bit didn’t rely solely on visual surprise. Hot Jacked Trump was a great Trump joke, one that SNL could have carried through the season. Rather than insulting Trump, Johnson proved it was even funnier to praise him. “From now on, we’re going to do a very flattering portrayal of Trump because he’s frankly my hero,” said Johnson, breaking character in his muscle suit. “He’s going to make an incredible president and eventually king. We love you, buddy.”
Regrettably, SNL immediately returned to the status quo. Austin, who does an impeccable impression, is back to imitating Trump’s press conference of the week. SNL writers give Johnson some clever-ish lines, serving up the same reheated Trump comedy you can find on TikTok by amateur impersonators. Results will be “huge,” “everyone is saying” the new plans are “the likes of which you’ve never seen before.” It’s like watching an impression of an impression.
Hot Jacked Trump would have been a welcome step in a new direction, even qualifying as — dare I say it? — satire. The return to the cookie-cutter cold open is disappointing, but it’s not too late. Roll the dice, SNL, and bring back Hot Jacked Trump before Season 50 is in the books.
