SNL mocks Trump’s Middle East trip and $400 million Qatari jet controversy

“Saturday Night Live” lampooned President Donald Trump’s recent Middle East trip in its season finale, trivializing what the administration billed as a major foreign policy reset.

The cold open featured James Austin Johnson as an exaggerated Trump alongside a fictionalized Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The sketch suggested an unlikely bromance.

“We’re together now, kidding, of course, but we are vibing,” Johnson’s Trump quipped, as though describing a new romance.

“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.

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In reality, Trump returned to Washington touting three major investment deals worth billions of dollars from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, commitments he said would bolster the U.S. economy. 

SNL’s Trump implied his motives were not so patriotic. 

“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,” he bragged. 

The show also capitalized on the controversy over a gifted $400 million jet from Qatar to the United States, a matter now under House Democrats’ scrutiny.

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“The Qataris gave me a $400 million plane. Can you believe that? And people said that was some sort of bribe,” the fake president deadpanned. “Not true, not true, because they haven’t asked for anything in return. Well, not yet. Alright, so it’s a pre-bribe.”

The real Trump defended accepting the jet in an interview Friday with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier, calling it “a good deal” and noting delays in Boeing’s new Air Force One project.

SNL then mocked Boeing’s recent safety scares and the country’s aging air-traffic-control system. Johnson’s Trump complained that he preferred the Qatari jet over an American plane.

“Have you seen what’s happening with our planes? The radar is down and the screen is blank — Newark,” he said, referring to to at least three equipment outages at Newark Liberty International in recent weeks. 

A second segment in the episode, led by host Scarlett Johansson and musical guest Bad Bunny, also made light of Newark’s radar failures, turning the issue into a comedic rap about a nerve-wracking landing and pilots being cut off from the control tower.

The opening Trump sketch wound down with the show’s typical jabs at the president and his continued daily media presence. 

“Since it’s a finale, that means after tonight, you won’t be seeing me here for a while. Well, not the fake, fun version of me that makes you smile. The real one will still be omnipresent. You can’t escape me, right? I’m everywhere.”

Before signing off for its summer hiatus, the fictionalized version of Trump quipped, “See you again in the fall, if we still have a country.”