The first sketch of Saturday Night Live of 2026 started with James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump and his “Cabinet of Curiosities” as he boasted about the various developments in recent times, including the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after an unethical attack on the country, America’s threats to Iran, and the ongoing ICE brutality in Minnesota.
Referring to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gifting Trump her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Johnson’s Trump said, “I got what I wanted for Christmas, my very own someone else’s Nobel Prize, which I cherish.”
He then talked about Maduro’s capture, saying, “And in my stocking I got Maduro – Nicolas Maduro. We did a reverse Santa on him. We came down the chimney with a bag and took him away.”
With the cold open sketch mentioning two major events that happened in recent times under the Trump administration, Johnson then reintroduced his Cabinet, consisting of “fellow freaks, various monsters and nightmares from the twisted mind of Guillermo del Trump.”
Fans of the show would recognize the return of familiar faces, including Marcello Hernandez as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Colin Jost as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who were shown to be drinking protein mix.
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Besides the familiar faces, Ashley Padilla debuted as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Taking a jab at Noem’s over-the-top makeup, which has often been trolled by netizens, Padilla’s Noem thanked “my hair and makeup team, who obviously hate me.”
In a true Noem fashion, Padilla then talked about the ongoing tense situation at Minneapolis where the deployment of ICE has caused massive confrontation among the citizens and the agents, leading to the fatal shooting of Renee Good Nicole, whom the Trump administration has tagged as a threat to the ICE Agent who shot her despite the footage of the incident showing a completely different picture.
Talking about the situation, Padilla’s Noem said, “Obviously, there’s been clashes on both sides in Minneapolis. And have we been perfect? Yes.”
She then added, “I know a lot of people looking at the situation in Minnesota are wondering the same thing, can I join ICE? Well, let me ask you this: is your neck wider than your head? Are you currently wearing a Punisher T-shirt? Have you ever punched a hole in the wall because your son took a dance class? If the answer is yes, then grab a gun, any gun, and saddle up big boy!”
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Padilla’s Noem was then joined by the fan favorite Jost as Hegseth who perfectly captured the aggressiveness of the Defense Secretary, a quality of the portrayal which fans have loved increasingly since his debut last season. Jost’s Hegseth appeared on stage and said, “Now listen up in case your ears are too fat to hear the news! We went into Venezuela and, como se dice? We tea-bagged their country!”
He then added Iran to the discussion and said, “I’m gonna tell him, ‘if Ayatollah you once, Ayatollah you 1,000 times. You don’t dare kill your protesters. That’s our thing!” After that, like a true Republican leader, Jost’s Hegseth said, “So just remember, you F with America, we’re gonna F you right back.”
The very first sketch of this year’s SNL has remained true to the essence of the show with the satire so good that it seamlessly held a mirror to the present socio-political situation in America.
