SNL opens 50th season by perfectly summing up difference between Harris and Trump

And SNL triggered Trump again!

Saturday Night Live opened their 50^th anniversary season with a star-studded cold open that was more than just funny. In that sketch, the iconic show perfectly summed up some of the defining differences between VP Kamala Harris versus Donald Trump.  And in doing so, reached millions—many of whom likely don’t follow politics closely—by sharing through comedy the contrast between the two and the stakes of this election.

The show opened with SNL cast member Andrew Dismukes--as ABC News anchor David Muir—setting up the comedy by saying that out of “fairness” they would cover both the Harris and Trump rallies taking place that night.

First up was the Harris rally featuring SNL alum Maya Rudolph as the Vice President who joyfully walked on stage to the Beyonce song, “Freedom.” She then playfully told the crowd, “Well, well, well, look who fell out of that coconut tree,” adding, “Your fun aunt has returned."

From there came the politics served up by way of comedy.  SNL’s Harris declared she was happy to be “campaigning in whatever swing state I’m in, which I will just refer to as Wisconsin-Pennsylv-Georgia.” Adding, “because I am going to protect your Va-Georgia.” That last word intentionally sounding like “vagina,” which the crowd got and cheered understanding that she meant protecting reproductive freedom—one of the cornerstones of her campaign.

SNL’s Harris soon used comedy to touch on another theme of her campaign. Rudolph told the audience, “Now this election is about moving forward. You see, Donald Trump is stuck in the past, but it’s like I say to my husband Doug when he leaves his phone at the Chili’s: ‘We are not going back!'”

SNL’s Harris then introduced her running mate Tim Walz--played by comedian/actor Jim Gaffigan—who bounded onto the stage filled with energy, declaring, “I haven’t been this excited since I got a 10 percent rebate on a leaf blower for Menards.” Gaffigan then joked,  “Can I say, I got that B.D.E…. Big Dad Energy. You see what I did there?”

Harris soon introduced others such as her husband, Doug Emhoff played by SNL alum Andy Samberg and later Joe Biden—brought to life by Dana Carvey.  The Harris rally coverage ended with “SNL’s Harris” saying, “Let’s get crazy, sexy cool and play some TLC” as she joyfully danced to the music.

Overall, the first half of the sketch summed up well the joy that defines the Harris campaign and her main political points of protecting reproductive freedom, inclusivity and not going back.

Then came the Trump rally. SNL’s David Muir introduced the second half of the sketch with the line, “Certainly seems like a party over at the Harris rally,” adding, “Let’s see how it’s going with Donald Trump with his rally…which is now entering its third hour.”

We then saw “Donald Trump,” played by SNL Cast member James Austin Johnson, standing in front of a crowd that had thinned out--with one person literally walking out. That prompted SNL’s Trump to bellow, “Where the hell is everyone going?! Where are you going?!” He then added, “I see you trying to leave, but the doors are locked!” as he pleaded, “We love my rallies.”

SNL’s Trump just like the real one then blamed the Democrats for the assassination attempts while also peddling racism. “Trump” declared, “They say that me blaming the Democrats for inciting violence is the pot calling the kettle black.” He added, “But frankly I didn’t know the kettle was black until very recently...I thought it was Indian.” Obviously that was a reference to Trump’s racist remark last month about Harris not really being Black.

From there, SNL served up more Trump-esque comments, with the show’s Trump whining, “We miss Joe Biden. What we wouldn’t give to have him stand next to me and be old” as he grotesquely mispronounced, “Kamala.”

And of, course, SNL included Trump’s racist and repeated lies about Haitian immigrants with him abruptly declaring, “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats.” From there he added, “They’re taking your pets…They’re doing freak offs with the dogs and they’re making the geese watch.”  This conjured up the real Trump’s incoherent remark at his rally Saturday where he claimed, “Most people don't have any idea what the hell a phone app is,” as he then demonized immigrants.

SNL also captured Trump’s propensity to throw people under the bus with his attacks on his own running mate JD Vance—who is clearly not helping Trump.  SNL’s Trump declared about Vance, “People are saying he was a bad pick…and in many ways he was.” That is when SNL cast member Bowen Yang appeared playing Vance saying about Trump, “Just this afternoon he told me, ‘JD, you’re like a son to me ‘cause I don’t like you and I’m stuck with you.’”

When SNL’s Vance began to praise Project 2025, ABC News cut away saying the Trump campaign asked them to stop covering the event.  After a brief return to the Harris rally where Harris was still dancing and Dana Carvey’s Joe Biden delivered some jokes, it was time for: “Live from New York! It’s Saturday Night!”

True to form, the Trump campaign –the real one that is—took to social media to slam SNL for mocking Trump. Of course, they framed their attack as the late night comedy show somehow joking about the attempts on Trump’s life, calling SNL “disgusting.” But as I’ve written about for years, Trump has long hated being mocked by SNL--and comedians--to the point where he called for the FCC when he was President to punish the show for making fun of him.  You see, dictators want to be feared, not laughed at.  

Obviously, pop culture can’t win a presidential election on its own. But it can help reach people who don’t pay attention to politics. And that is why SNL’s cold open—as well as endorsements of people like Taylor Swift—all help in defeating Trump.

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If you need a laugh here is SNL’s cold open that has so triggered Trump:

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