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SNL skewers Trump over ‘possible imprisonment’ days after former president’s indictment

‘I’ve never seen Melania happier,’ sketch show’s version of Trump said

Jacob Stolworthy
Monday 03 April 2023 07:20 BST
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SNL parodies Donald Trump days after indictment

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Donald Trump was skewered on SNL after being indicted by a New York City grand jury on charges of falsifying business records.

The charges stem from payments he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from revealing an affair he had with her before the 2016 election.

Trump is reportedly facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud, sources told CNN after the indictment became public.

Find live updates about Trump’s indictment here.

Naturally, SNL didn’t hold back in their roasting of Trump in the latest episode, which aired on Saturday (1 April) and saw James Austin Johnson return as the former president.

Johnson, in character as Trump, said he would “come clean and admit” that he “broke the law” before swiftly declaring it an “April fools” prank.

“Well, folks, it happened, I got indicted, or as I spell it, indicated,” Johnson’s Trump said, adding: “Make no mistake, what the radical left is doing is worse than any crime I have ever committed.”

He then added: “Since the news of my possible imprisonment, I’ve never seen Melania happier.

“Also, just to set the record straight, I didn’t even sleep with Stormy Daniels, but in many ways I did. And isn’t it ironic that the first time I actually pay someone, they try to send me to jail. That’s why you don’t pay people, folks. You never pay people.”

Later in the episode, Mikey Day, as Trump’s son Don Jr, says: “It might be the last time I see you,” to which Johnson’s Trump replies: “Farom your mouth to God’s ears.”

James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump on ‘SNL’
James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump on ‘SNL’ (YouTube)

Elsewhere on SNL, Colin Jost fell victim to an “evil” prank pulled by his Weekend Update co-host Michael Che, which Jost branded “the meanest thing” Che has “ever done”.

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Meanwhile, host Quinta Brunson, creator and star of Abbott Elementary, called out sitcom Friends for its lack of diversity during her opening monologue.

District attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement on Thursday (30 March) that his office has been in touch with Trump’s attorneys over his surrender.

His lawyers have indicated that he will surrender to New York authorities early next week.

The former president has fumed about the indictment in statements posted on his Truth Social platform since Thursday where he railed against the “corrupt” charges, claimed he can’t get a fair trial in New York, and lashed out at Judge Juan Merchan who is assigned to the case.

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