“Saturday Night Live” spoofed President Trump’s recent Middle East trip with a cold open dedicated to his burgeoning bromance with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and controversy over the $400 million luxury jet that the Qatari government gifted the U.S. to replace Air Force One while Trump is in office.
“I didn’t make this trip for myself. I want to make that clear. I did this for the American people. And, in many ways, myself, my personal enrichment. I did that too. I did very well on this trip — got a lot of cool stuff,” Trump, as played by SNL regular James Austin Johnson, quipped in SNL’s 50th season finale, calling the jet a “pre-bribe” because Qatar hasn’t asked for anything in return “yet.”
The sketch comedy show also lampooned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s ongoing struggles that have caused mass delays at airports and several aircraft close calls due to air traffic control outages.
“People are saying that I should really be flying an American plane,” Trump said as the crown prince, played by SNL’s Emil Wakim, sat close by. “Uh, no thanks, honey — have you seen what’s going on with our planes?”
The show portrayed Trump’s closeness with Saudi Arabia’s leader as “love,” and even worked in a quip about the reported “mobile McDonalds” that greeted Trump in the foreign country.
“We’re together now — kidding, of course, but we are vibing,” the faux Trump said, gripping bin Soloman’s hand tightly.
“I, of course, am a big fan of everything that Saudi Arabia has to offer, from the oil to the money. To – end of list,” he added.
The real Trump, who traveled to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week, has hailed his Middle East trip as a major success for his administration at its conclusion on Friday.
“This was a fantastic moment for our country. I really believe that,” the president told reporters just before leaving on Air Force One. “Everyone’s talking about it, and the respect shown to our country was incredible.”
Near the end of the SNL skit, Johnson, as Trump, headed to the audience, where he was surrounded by and flirted with several women.
“It’s nice here with all the young pretty people,” he said before bidding adieu to the season but noting that the “real” Trump would still be “omnipresent.”
“Even in your dreams, like the late great Freddie Krueger,” he joked.
As the show aired, Trump posted several videos from his Middle East trip to his Truth Social website, but he didn’t directly respond to the show.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
