The scene begins with Mikey Day depicting Jesus, flipping the table in anger in the temple, part of the story of the Bible’s cleansing of the temple. Enter James Austin Johnson, playing Trump, who interrupts the Holy Land, reaching a parallel between Jesus’ actions and his recent tariff announcement. Trump was full of features and quipped, “Do you think of anyone? I got rid of money last week, but I did the whole country, even the world. Money disappeared!”
This is a bold comparison. In this world, Trump seems to position himself not only as a disruptor, but as a Messianic figure, he has changed the global economy single-handedly through his extensive tariffs. “I compare myself to God’s Son again,” said Johnson’s Trump. “People call me the Messiah because I’m made of the economy’s ‘Mess-i-Ah’.”
Comedy doesn’t stop there. The segment cites Trump’s decision to take on huge tariffs, a move that has put the stock market to a tail. “The stock market is Jesus,” Johnson’s Trump declared. “It dies, and then rises on the third day. On the fourth day, it dies again and may never come back.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnxljhtfaiu
A week-long pause
Of course, Trump’s tariffs have become a national conversation point. Just a few days after the SNL sketch aired, the president announced that some tariffs on other countries outside China were temporarily suspended for 90 days. This may be an attempt to stabilize a turbulent market, but in a true Trump style, the cold Open portrays him as a leader, and he can’t help but make dramatic, often contradictory moves. “These beautiful tariffs work well and I have to stop them,” Johnson’s Trump said. “Now, everything is back to its original state, minus trillions of dollars.”
The sketch continues to explore Trump’s absurdity about global economics approaches. Johnson even improvised on Easter, humorous in the connection between the holidays and the U.S. economic crisis. Johnson’s Trump muses: “We love Easter, we love rabbits, we love searching for eggs.” “That’s what everyone does right now in the grocery store.” Here’s a picky comment about the rising cost of everyday goods due to the tariff consequences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1gzmjovkq
White POTUS: Recession Holiday
Later in the episode, Trump’s tariff collapse surfaced in a parody of the popular HBO show White Lotus. The sketch titled “White POTUS” imagines Trump and his family on vacation while the global economy is shaking. It’s a comedic attitude toward the reality that the president cannot protect his family from economic destruction.
Melania Trump is portrayed by Chloe Fineman, who drips his lines with irony: “We are lucky that America will always be a wealthy and powerful country. Can you imagine how bad it would be if America lost all its money and no one in the world is respected in the world?”
The sketch continues to explore watching a country unveil its surreal experience while still sticking to wealth and power. It reflects the storyline of White Lotus, where a businessman tries to protect his family from financial damage awaiting them. Here, the comedy similarities with Trump are hard to ignore.
Mocking Trump’s Bible
Perhaps at the most ridiculous moments throughout the night, SNL writers have further attracted their satire with imitation of Trump’s homemade religious portraits. During the cold Open, Trump promoted his “Trump Bible” and is now “made in the United States” and costs up to $1,300. “It collapses faster,” Johnson’s Trump quipped. The joke speaks to the nature of the performance of the Trump leadership, combining his constant self-promotion with his lasting influence on policy.
Financial reality check
The episode also took a darker turn, with another sketch depicting a fictional financial news show targeting Americans who are paying for their salary. Kenan Thompson’s role is an international commodity correspondent, reflecting the reality of many Americans struggling with inflation. He joked: “I used to eat Cap’n Crunch cereals before prices rose, so today I bought this: Sgt. Monk. Lower grade, lower price, bad flavor.” This is the wider economic impact of Trump tariffs.
Familiarity with SNL
Trump has long established a controversial relationship with SNL. After years of mocking, the president used his platform to lash out at the show, calling it “tired” and accusing it of “a popular job for the Republican Party.” But this latest parody continues the show’s long tradition of being responsible for Trump’s actions, no matter how ridiculous or dramatic.
Whether it’s comparing oneself to Jesus, whimsical sales pitches for the fictional Bible, or attracting ridiculous similarities between tariffs and religious figures, Trump’s Easter monologue is a sharp and ironic view of the president’s unpredictability and self-compulsive definition. For many, this is a timely reminder of the economic turmoil that continues to plague the country.
