Trump Disrupts Jesus in SNL Cold Open, Shares Thoughts on Easter, Tariffs, and More


Saturday Night Live opened this week’s episode with a humorous interpretation of a well-known biblical narrative — the Cleansing of the Temple — in which Jesus expels merchants and money changers for transforming a holy site into a “den of thieves.”

As Mikey Day, playing Jesus, starts the intense reenactment, the sketch takes a comedic twist when James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump character charges in, commandeering the scene in typical Trump style.

Johnson, celebrated for his remarkable Trump impersonation, gives what might be his most unforgettable performance to date. For over five seamless minutes, he dives into a wildly off-the-wall monologue, exploring topics ranging from tariffs and Easter to the soaring price of eggs. He even takes jabs at the casting selections of the SNL actors frozen behind him as Jesus and his disciples.

The sketch is filled with pun-heavy one-liners, as Johnson’s Trump draws ridiculous comparisons between himself and biblical personalities. “Many people are indeed referring to me as the Messiah,” he quips, “because of the Mess-I-ah I’ve created with the economy.”

It’s a frenzied, uproarious mix of political humor and religious satire — quintessential SNL at its finest.