SNL's Cold Open Mocks Donald Trump Pete Hegseth - BuzzFeed

Saturday Night Live's cold open is going viral for its hauntingly accurate portrayal of Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth.

Saturday Night Live

Two men are seated next to each other at a table. The man closer to the camera is speaking, while the other listens attentively in a formal setting

On Feb. 28, SNL was hosted by Connor Storrie, with Mumford & Sons as musical guests, but before the Heated Rivalry star even took to the stage for his monologue, the late-night sketch show took aim at the US administration.

SNL

Group of five people laughing together indoors, one wearing a ruffled top with cartoon patches. They're on a studio set, possibly for a TV show

SNL's version of President Donald Trump (portrayed by James Austin Johnson) straight-up told his "America First" supporters not to be distracted by the deadly strikes on Iran, or why they happened in the first place.

A man wearing a USA cap speaks at a podium, saying, “I launched this attack after me and my Board of Peace decided we were... bored of Peace.”

"We had to act now, and we're doing war," he said.

A man in a suit and cap speaks at a podium with U.S. flags behind, mockingly discussing Iran's nuclear capabilities and the decision to go to war

He even broke down why his loyal supporters and voters shouldn't worry about him breaking his campaign promises.

Man in a USA hat humorously discusses campaign promises, foreign wars, and opinions from supporters

SNL Trump even satirically explained the timing behind the strikes on Iran, which killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, joking that it was to force the SNL writers to pivot sketches in the last minute.

A person delivering a comedic monologue, referencing the effects on an "SNL writers' room" during a sketch or show scene

Then, SNL's version of the US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (portrayed by Colin Jost) appeared to defend the choice of possibly entering war with Iran alongside Israel.

Split-screen image of a man at a podium; top text has a joke about overseeing an operation, bottom text reveals fear and insecurity

The jokes might've been funny, but damn, it's too soon.

Two men dressed formally stand at a podium with USA logos, delivering a comedic speech

The cold open, which satirizes a serious current event, was met with a series of astonishment and despair from viewers on YouTube, who were impressed by the quick production and haunted by the reality. Here's what they're saying:

"It hasn't even been 24 hrs," one person wrote. Another said, "This came out so fast that I had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't an actual news story."

A person in a "USA" cap speaks at a podium with a presidential seal and flags in the background

"This country is run by spoiled brats," another person said. Someone else wrote, "I don't know if I should laugh or cry!"

Man in suit speaks at podium; another man in suit stands behind, looking on attentively

This person said, "I can't believe we're living through this this video will be in a AP history book 30 years from now."

Two actors impersonating political figures stand at a podium labeled with a presidential seal, with USA and flags in the background

And finally, someone wrote, "thanks... SNL reminds me of the orchestra on the Titanic that entertained while the ship was sinking."

Two performers mimic a political scene on stage, standing at a podium with flags in the background. One wears a "USA" cap

You can watch the SNL cold open here:

View this video on YouTube

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