SNL Cold Open Mocks Trump's Absurd Phone Calls

The show's satirical take on the former president's disconnected reality sparks deeper questions about the role of comedy in a surreal political landscape.

Apr. 13, 2026 at 3:57am

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A striking abstract composition featuring bold, jagged shapes and high-contrast colors, conceptually representing the surreal nature of political satire and the absurdity of the Trump presidency.SNL's satirical cold open skewers the absurdity of Trump's disconnected reality through a series of surreal phone calls.NYC Today

Saturday Night Live's recent cold open featured James Austin Johnson's portrayal of Donald Trump making a series of bizarre phone calls, including to Tiger Woods, Melania Trump, and Pete Hegseth. The sketch highlights how SNL uses the mundane act of a phone call to underline the surreal nature of Trump's presidency, from his obliviousness to his tendency to oversimplify complex issues. The Melania and Hegseth exchanges also touch on broader cultural anxieties around public figures, social media, and the language of war.

Why it matters

This SNL sketch isn't just making fun of Trump; it's holding a mirror up to the absurdity of our political and cultural moment. By amplifying the ridiculousness of reality, the show forces viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about the state of leadership, social media, and our desensitization to the language of war. Satire like this serves as a form of accountability, challenging us to think critically about the world around us.

The details

The cold open features a series of phone calls made by Trump, played by James Austin Johnson. In one call, Trump asks Tiger Woods about the Masters tournament, despite Woods' very public DUI and car crash. This exchange is seen as a microcosm of Trump's leadership style - dismissive, self-serving, and tone-deaf. The Melania Trump segment has Chloe Fineman portraying the former first lady randomly declaring she's not an Epstein victim, a commentary on the paranoia that surrounds public figures in the age of social media. The call to Pete Hegseth, played by Colin Jost, takes the sketch into even more surreal territory, with Hegseth describing the war in Iran using absurdly crude language.

  • The SNL cold open aired on April 13, 2026.

The players

James Austin Johnson

An American actor and comedian who portrays Donald Trump in the SNL cold open.

Chloe Fineman

An American actress and comedian who portrays Melania Trump in the SNL cold open.

Colin Jost

An American comedian, actor, and writer who portrays Pete Hegseth in the SNL cold open.

Tiger Woods

An American professional golfer who is referenced in the Trump phone call during the SNL cold open.

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States, whose absurd phone calls are the focus of the SNL cold open.

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What they’re saying

“Do he drive on pills? Yes he do.”

— Donald Trump

“We wet their willies, tapped their sacks.”

— Pete Hegseth

“Please, sir, just go back to bombing us.”

— JD Vance

The takeaway

This SNL cold open highlights how satire can serve as a form of accountability, challenging viewers to confront the absurdity of our political and cultural landscape. By amplifying the ridiculousness of reality, the show forces us to think critically about the state of leadership, social media, and our desensitization to the language of war.