Trump Campaign Reacts Sharply to Controversial SNL Sketch

The Trump Campaign has expressed significant condemnation toward Saturday Night Live’s latest skit, amplifying the growing divide between Trump and mainstream media.

At a Glance

The Trump campaign criticized “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) for a skit about assassination attempts against former President Trump.
James Austin Johnson portrayed Trump in the skit, referencing an assassination attempt on July 13 in Butler, Pa.
The Trump campaign’s social media post condemned SNL for finding humor in the assassination attempts.

Trump Campaign Criticizes SNL Skit Mocking Assassination Attempt

This past weekend, the Trump campaign took to social media platform X to vehemently criticize “Saturday Night Live” after its season debut featured a contentious skit. The sketch mocked the July assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, which outraged the campaign. They condemned it as inappropriate and disrespectful.

The Trump campaign’s social media account pushed back on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) on Saturday after the season premiere featured a skit about assassination attempts against former President Trump.

“There were two assassination attempts against President Trump within a span of seven weeks. @nbcsnl apparently finds that funny. Disgusting.”

SNL’s James Austin Johnson took on the role of Trump in the skit, referencing the July 13, 2023 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, which sparked immediate backlash. During a rally, a bullet grazed Trump’s ear, a rally-goer was killed, and two others were injured.

Unrelenting Critique and Mockery

The skit included the “Weekend Update” segment where Colin Jost made jokes about the assassination attempts and referenced an interview with Melania Trump, who blamed Democrats. Trump’s campaign criticized Jost’s humor as callous and tasteless.

Jost made several jokes during the segment:

“I’m starting to worry that bullet got a little more than just the ear,” Jost joked, in reference to Trump’s latest criticism of Kamala Harris.

“I cannot believe that Trump admitted he lost the debate to a mentally disabled person,” Jost reacted.

“Who sees an assassin and is like, ‘I better open outlook!’” Jost quipped. “‘Hey, sorry for the mass email, but there’s a sniper on the roof. Please respond by end of day.’”

The segment also addressed the recent indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams for bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals. SNL actor Devon Walker humorously portrayed Adams attempting to talk his way out of trouble. Additionally, Colin Jost highlighted accusations against rapper Sean Combs (P Diddy) for sex trafficking and racketeering.

The Trump campaign lashed out at "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend on X after the television show's season premiere included a skit about assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump. https://t.co/ekaGCNCfp1

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) September 30, 2024

Political Satire and Public Reactions

The skit, kicking off SNL’s 50th season, included numerous political figures. Maya Rudolph returned as Kamala Harris, Andy Samberg portrayed Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Jim Gaffigan appeared as Democratic VP nominee Gov. Tim Walz, and Dana Carvey made a guest appearance as President Joe Biden.

“Well, well, well, look who fell out of that coconut tree,” said Maya Rudolph tonight, kicking off the cold open of the Season 50 premiere of Saturday Night Live.

The Trump campaign, leveraging numerous media outlets, ensured that their displeasure reached the public widely. Fox News Digital contacted NBC for comment on the controversial skit, but as of now, no official response has been given. This controversy highlights the ongoing rift between Trump and established media outlets known for their satire.