Saturday Night Live (SNL) has long been known for its razor-sharp satire of American politics, but the December 6, 2025 episode took things up a notch, lampooning President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in a cold open that had viewers talking well into the weekend. The sketch, anchored by Colin Jost’s blustery portrayal of Hegseth and James Austin Johnson’s uncanny impression of Trump, zeroed in on a fictional press conference addressing controversial U.S. military strikes on boats alleged to be operated by narco-terrorists in the Caribbean.
As reported by Variety, the scene kicked off with Jost’s Hegseth berating the assembled press corps, deflecting tough questions about the operation’s legality and effectiveness. “That kind of cruel, heartless act has no place in operation ‘Kill Everybody,’” he declared, denying that the military action went as planned. The denial was less than convincing, especially as Hegseth admitted to making an emergency call to his sponsor after the first strike because he was "so jacked up." He confessed, “I’m sorry, a guy I met at an anonymous meeting. So I don’t drink something I want, but I can’t have. But I want it, and I need it and I want it right now. It’s booze.” The moment, blending absurd humor with a jab at political spin, set the tone for a sketch that would not pull any punches.
But the real comedic fireworks began when Hegseth turned to President Trump for backup. According to Rolling Stone, Johnson’s Trump was, true to recent SNL running gags, sound asleep at the podium. The 79-year-old president mumbled dreamily about New York City’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, saying, “Stop, Mamdani. You can freeze my rent anytime,” before groggily denying he had been sleeping. “I was very much awake. Now, someone tell me where am I, who am I, and what year might it be,” he insisted, drawing laughs from the audience and a wry chuckle from Hegseth, who quipped, “Everything you do that’s weird is a joke.”
Jost’s Hegseth tried to assure the press that he had Trump’s full support. Trump, half-awake, confirmed, “I stand by Pete, and nothing can change my mind. Unless, of course, he could hurt me in any way, in which case I’ll throw him under one of Mamdani’s free buses.” The line, delivered with Johnson’s signature Trumpian bravado, poked fun at the president’s reputation for loyalty—so long as it serves his own interests. The sketch continued to riff on Trump’s age and mental acuity, with Hegseth joking, “We’ve got to get him to another MRI before he wakes up!” after Trump was caught snoring when asked about the affordability crisis and polling that showed his own supporters blaming him.
The episode, hosted by Melissa McCarthy with musical guest Dijon, was a star-studded affair. But the SNL cold open wasn’t the only place where Trump was making headlines that weekend. On December 7, 2025, the president was set to host the Kennedy Center Honours, a prestigious ceremony recognizing major contributions to the performing arts. As noted by indy100, Trump became the first sitting U.S. president ever to actually host the awards—an unprecedented move that added fuel to his ongoing feud with late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
Speaking to the media before the ceremony, Trump couldn’t resist taking a swipe at Kimmel, who has been a frequent critic and comedic adversary. “I’ve watched some of the people that host, Jimmy Kimmel was horrible. If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent then I don’t think I should be President,” Trump said, according to indy100. The jab was especially pointed given that Kimmel has never actually hosted the Kennedy Center Honours, though he did appear on stage in 2012 to pay tribute to honoree David Letterman. The comment was classic Trump—combative, hyperbolic, and designed to stir the pot.
The feud between Trump and Kimmel is nothing new. Over the years, the two have exchanged barbs on social media and television, with Kimmel frequently lampooning Trump’s policies and personal foibles on his late-night show. Trump, for his part, has fired back with insults and challenges, often questioning Kimmel’s talent and relevance. The president’s decision to host the Kennedy Center Honours himself seemed, to many observers, like another chapter in their ongoing war of words.
Meanwhile, the SNL sketch’s focus on the fictional military operation in the Caribbean touched a nerve, satirizing not only the administration’s handling of sensitive foreign policy matters but also the broader media landscape. Hegseth’s character lashed out at reporters, calling one journalist fat and another single, before making a less-than-convincing denial of any wrongdoing. The scene lampooned the combative relationship between the White House and the press, a dynamic that has only intensified in recent years.
At the heart of the SNL cold open was a biting commentary on political loyalty, media manipulation, and the spectacle of American leadership. Trump’s dream about Mayor Mamdani and the recurring jokes about his age and cognitive state played into ongoing national conversations about the president’s fitness for office and the generational divide in U.S. politics. The sketch’s references to the affordability crisis and polling woes added another layer, highlighting the real-world challenges facing the administration as it navigates economic turbulence and shifting public opinion.
The inclusion of Zohran Mamdani, New York’s newly elected mayor, in Trump’s dream sequence was a clever touch, nodding to debates over rent control and public transportation in the city. Trump’s quip about “throwing [Hegseth] under one of Mamdani’s free buses” was a double-edged joke, poking fun at both the president’s self-preservation instincts and progressive urban policies.
For viewers, the December 6 episode of SNL offered a masterclass in political satire, blending real headlines with absurdist humor to capture the zeitgeist of a turbulent era. The show’s willingness to lampoon both the administration’s controversies and the personalities at the center of power is part of what has made SNL a fixture of American cultural commentary for decades.
As the weekend unfolded, Trump’s presence at the Kennedy Center Honours—and his pointed remarks about Jimmy Kimmel—kept the spotlight firmly on the intersection of politics and entertainment. Whether hosting a prestigious arts ceremony or serving as the butt of an SNL joke, the president remained at the center of the national conversation, his every move scrutinized and satirized in equal measure.
In a media landscape defined by spectacle, rivalry, and rapid-fire headlines, the events of December 6 and 7 were a reminder that, for better or worse, the worlds of politics and comedy are more intertwined than ever.
