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Saturday Night Live ended its landmark 50th season by returning to a fan-favorite formula. James Austin Johnson brought back his razor-sharp impression of Donald Trump, this time taking aim at the former president’s recent trip to the Middle East and turning it into a full-blown bromance with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In the sketch, Johnson’s Trump gushed about his travels through Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Alongside Emil Wakim as MBS, the two exchanged affectionate “habibi”s while riffing on everything from trade deals to very questionable gifts.
Trump declared the two were “vibing” and that he was “a big fan of everything that Saudi Arabia has to offer, from the oil to the money to… end of list.”
He quickly assured viewers that this trip wasn’t entirely self-serving. “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.”
One of the more surreal moments came when he mentioned a new plane. “I did very well on this trip, got a lot of cool stuff. The Qataris gave me a $400 million plane. Can you believe that? And people said that was some sort of bribe. Not true, not true because they haven’t asked for anything in return.”
Wakim’s MBS replied, “Well, not yet.”
“Alright, so it’s a pre-bribe, it’s a pre-bribe,” Johnson shot back.
That moment quickly pivoted into a rant about America’s own aviation issues. “But now people are saying, I should really be flying in an American plane. No, thanks, sonny. Have you seen what’s going on with our planes? The radar is down, and the screen is blank. Newark!”
There was also a nod to a new international deal. Trump invited MBS to break the news.
“Saudi Arabia will buy $1 billion worth of aircraft from Boeing,” Wakim’s MBS announced.
“Your funeral,” Johnson snapped.
Reflecting on the trip, Johnson’s Trump summed it up as a kind of Middle East frat party.
“I’ve had a great trip here in the Middle East. It was very much a boys’ trip. I don’t think I saw a single woman. What’s up with that? Huh? All the time, just walking into a room full of boys. Hi, boys. Boys. Again, the women are all hiding. It’s like a nation of Melanias.”
And in true SNL Trump fashion, he ended on an absurdly affectionate note that referenced Morgan Wallen‘s “Get me to God’s Country” comment after his abrupt exit from the show on March 29. “I love the Arabs. I love the Arabs. I don’t want to go home. Let me stay. Get me to Allah’s country. Everyone loves me here. They’re not allowed to not right?”
Wakim’s MBS responded, “They have to love you, if not, bye-bye.”
The season finale featured Scarlett Johansson as host and Bad Bunny as the musical guest. Johnson’s Trump left viewers with one final thought.
“If we still have a country, right? It’s a coin toss. Happy Summer, everyone.”
English (US)