Donald Trump

Trump Family, Advisers Decorate the ‘Tree of Shame' in ‘SNL' Cold Open

Scarlett Johansson made a surprise cameo as Ivanka Trump, bringing an ornament of Roy Moore, the GOP candidate for the Alabama Senate seat who lost on Tuesday to Democrat Doug Jones

During "Saturday Night Live's" cold open, Alec Baldwin's President Donald Trump didn't just decorate any old Christmas tree—it was a tree that paid tribute to the "haters and losers" the president "destroyed" during his first year in office.

It was the "tree of shame."

"I've had an amazing, absolutely amazing first year in office," Baldwin said, reprising his role as the president. "A lot of people have been saying it was the greatest year in the history of America, and maybe the entire planet Earth."

Baldwin's Trump also announced, "The "war on Christmas is over," and that, "it will soon be replaced by the war with North Korea."

Adviser Kellyanne Conway, played by Kate McKinnon, brought an ornament with former FBI director James Comey's face on it for the "loser tree."

"Sadly, I had to fire Comey because he's a nut job," Baldwin's Trump said, quickly adding, "And also because he knew all my secrets."

Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, played by Aidy Bryant, brought ornaments of former press secretary Sean Spicer and former communications director Anthony Scaramucci. She called them "mangled corpses" she "stepped over to get this job."

Vice President Mike Pence, played by Beck Bennett, brought an ornament of former national security adviser Mike Flynn, staunchly affirming that Flynn "lied to us" and "acted alone, without our knowledge."

Scarlett Johansson made a surprise cameo as Ivanka Trump, bringing an ornament of Roy Moore, the GOP candidate for the Alabama Senate seat who lost on Tuesday to Democrat Doug Jones. Baldwin's Trump asks where her husband, Jared Kushner, is and she says he is "packing a go-bag before the FBI arrives."

Trump's sons, played by Alex Moffat and Mikey Day, brought more ornaments of past administration members and introduced "Elf on the Shelf" Jeff Sessions, played by McKinnon as well. McKinnon's Sessions asks to put the angel, Robert Mueller, on the tree, because "he's next."

Omarosa Manigault Newman, played by Leslie Jones, tried to get the family's attention by playing the "Apprentice" theme song on a boombox in the window. The real Manigault Newman was fired from the administration Wednesday, Dec. 13.

"Weekend Update" kicked off with the special election in Alabama for a U.S. Senate seat.

"Congratulations to the new senator of Alabama: Not Roy Moore," said co-host Colin Jost. 

Co-host Michael Che said the election proved to be an example of "exactly why Republicans try to keep black people from voting," citing 98 percent of black women voting for Jones in Alabama. Che joked that he chooses who he's voting for based on who he'd rather see approaching his car if he were pulled over.

"And it's almost always not the one on a horse," Che said.

Leslie Jones returned as Omarosa Manigault Newman to "demand a retraction" on the story that she was fired from the Trump administration, insisting she "left that job by choice."

"I quit," Jones said. "I deactivated my ID card. I changed the locks on my own office. I escorted myself off the premises and then I threw myself into the bushes."

Saturday was the third time comedian and actor Kevin Hart hosted "SNL." During his monologue he talked about how, at first, he was reluctant to have a third child, venting that "all of the fun responsibility lies on the shoulder of the father."

The Foo Fighters performed two songs, "The Sky Is a Neighborhood" and a medley of Christmas songs. 

Contact Us