Saturday Night Live plunged headfirst into chaos this weekend with a jaw-dropping cold open that left viewers stunned, laughing nervously, and flooding social media with disbelief.
The sketch, set aboard Air Force One, depicted a wildly unrestrained version of former President Donald Trump — played once again by James Austin Johnson — spiralling through a press briefing while openly admitting to being on a cocktail of Ambien and Adderall, viciously attacking journalists, obsessing over pop culture trivia… and, in the most shocking moment of all, casually revealing footage of Santa Claus being blown out of the sky in a military strike.
Yes. Santa Claus.
From the opening seconds, it was clear this was not going to be a subtle satire.
AIR FORCE ONE DESCENDS INTO MADNESS
The scene opens with the familiar hum of Air Force One as reporters crowd around Trump, who appears jittery, slouched, unfocused and visibly unhinged. Johnson’s Trump immediately sets the tone, rambling erratically as questions rain down from the press corps.
Standing beside him is White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, portrayed by Ashley Padilla, who attempts — and fails — to maintain any sense of order.
While Leavitt calmly fields questions, Trump abruptly interrupts to launch into a bizarre and inappropriate monologue about her appearance.
“How great is Karoline Leavitt?” he declares, beaming. “We love her. She’s got a beautiful face… and those lips that don’t quit.”
The camera lingers as Trump continues, escalating the comment into absurd territory.
“Look at those lips. They go like a machine gun.”
The joke lands with a mix of laughter and audible discomfort, as Trump proudly adds that he’s grateful he can now “openly simp over my young blonde subordinate,” a line that instantly ignited online outrage and debate.
Leavitt, meanwhile, stares straight ahead, visibly frozen, embodying the sketch’s recurring theme: a staff desperately trying to survive a leader who has gone completely off the rails.
‘YOU, YOU NASTY HORRIBLE WITCH’
The focus then shifts to the press, and the tone turns sharply more aggressive.
“Yes, you,” Trump snarls, pointing toward one reporter. “You nasty, horrible witch.”
The camera cuts to Chloe Fineman as CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, who calmly responds, “My name is Kaitlan Collins, sir. And that’s one of the nicer things you’ve called me.”
The exchange draws big laughs — and mirrors real-world tensions — as Trump continues berating the press with open hostility, barely pretending to answer their questions.
When asked about the possible sale of Warner Bros. Discovery to Netflix, Trump doesn’t address corporate strategy or media consolidation. Instead, he launches into a rambling attack on Hollywood studio tours.
“They’ve got the worst studio lot tour in Los Angeles,” he complains. “It’s just some kid pointing at a tree like, ‘Oh, that’s the tree from Pretty Little Liars.’ Who gives a crap?”
His solution?
“I wanna go to Luke’s. I wanna go to the Gilmore Girls gazebo.”
The line gets one of the biggest laughs of the night, as Trump’s priorities veer wildly from geopolitics to nostalgic TV fandom.
VENEZUELA, PIRATES — AND CAP’N CRUNCH
Things take a darker turn when a reporter asks about an oil tanker seized off the coast of Venezuela.
Trump initially attempts to answer — then immediately derails himself.
He rambles about pirates, references Tom Hanks’ Captain Phillips, and somehow segues into Cap’n Crunch cereal.
“Uh oh,” he mutters to himself, squinting. “Methinks Ambien has pulled into the lead.”
The self-awareness only makes the moment more absurd.
Pressed again about whether the U.S. would carry out military strikes in the Caribbean, Trump responds simply: “Yes.”
No hesitation. No nuance.
He adds that suspected drug planes would continue to be targeted as well — and then decides to demonstrate.
THE SANTA CLAUS MOMENT THAT LEFT VIEWERS STUNNED
Trump announces that he will show the press a newly declassified video of a recent airstrike.
The lights dim.
The footage rolls.
On the screen appears the unmistakable silhouette of Santa Claus flying through the night sky in his sleigh, reindeer in tow.
Seconds later — an explosion.
The sleigh vanishes in a fiery blast.
A stunned silence fills the cabin.
One journalist finally manages to ask, “Was that Santa?”
Trump doesn’t blink.
“Not anymore,” he replies.
The moment instantly exploded online, with viewers calling it “unhinged,” “insane,” “too far,” and “the most SNL thing SNL has done in years.”
Some praised the audacity. Others accused the show of crossing a line — though many admitted they couldn’t stop watching.
EPSTEIN PHOTOS AND A FINAL TWIST
As if the sketch hadn’t already gone far enough, it closes with one final scandal.
Trump is asked about the latest batch of Epstein-related photos circulating online.
He immediately dismisses them as “a fake news Democrat hoax.”
But then a reporter mentions a specific image: a bowl of condoms bearing Trump’s face, emblazoned with the words “I’m huge.”
Trump pauses.
Reconsiders.
Then nods solemnly.
“Oh, those?” he says. “Those are 100 percent legit.”
Cue laughter, disbelief, and the abrupt end of the sketch.
SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS
Within minutes, clips of the cold open were everywhere.
Some viewers declared it the funniest opening in years. Others said it made them uncomfortable — which, many argued, was exactly the point.
Critics praised James Austin Johnson’s performance as both terrifying and hilarious, noting how effortlessly he captured Trump’s rambling cadence and volatile energy.
Supporters of the former president, meanwhile, slammed the sketch as disrespectful, offensive, and proof of Hollywood bias.
But one thing was undeniable.
People were talking.
SNL DIDN’T JUST MOCK — IT WENT FOR THE JUGULAR
This wasn’t a gentle parody. It wasn’t a wink.
It was a full-throttle satire that leaned hard into chaos, discomfort, and shock value — blending pop culture, politics, and absurdity into a segment that dared viewers to look away.
By the time the sleigh exploded and Santa vanished from the sky, SNL had made its message clear.
Nothing — not Christmas, not decorum, not even reality — is safe in this version of Trump’s world.
And whether audiences loved it or hated it, one thing was certain.
They weren’t going to forget it anytime soon.
