Latest news with #CleansingoftheTemple
Forbes
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘SNL's' Trump Interrupts Jesus To Talk Tariffs: ‘I Also Got Rid Of Money Last Week'
'Saturday Night Live' opened Saturday night by taking on President Donald Trump's recent tariffs in a sketch in which they portrayed the president interrupting Jesus Christ to compare his sweeping tariffs to the biblical cleansing of the temple (watch below). James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live" on April 12. The 'Saturday Night Live' cold open began with the 'Cleansing of the Temple,' a biblical tale in which Jesus Christ was enraged over business transactions within places of worship, flipping tables and expelling the money changers. Trump, portrayed by James Austin Johnson, interrupts the scene, saying, 'Remind you of anyone?' because he 'also got rid of money last week' with his tariffs. Trump imposed tariffs on imported goods from nearly all nations last week that roiled the stock market and sparked fears of a recession, with the president unexpectedly paring back the worst of his tariffs on most countries Wednesday amid the chaos—though he left a 10% baseline tariff in effect along with 125% additional tariffs on Chinese imports. Johnson's Trump said on 'SNL' he was 'comparing myself to the son of God once again,' saying people were 'comparing me to the messiah because of the 'Mess-I-Ah' made out of the economy' from 'my beautiful tariffs,' and boasted the tariffs were 'working so well that I had to stop them.' Mimicking Trump's stream of consciousness speeches, Johnson continued to speak as the president, commenting on cast members in the scene behind him and musing on Easter, saying, 'We love easter, we love bunny, we love hunting for eggs because that's what everyone's doing at the grocery store right now.' The sketch ended with Johnson's Trump saying Americans should 'remember the lesson that Mr. Jesus taught us, when he went buckwild on those money changers, we must never mix religion with commerce'—adding, 'You can read all about that in my Trump Bible, now made in America so it costs $1,300 and it falls apart even faster.' 'The stock market did a Jesus' in response to Trump's tariffs, Johnson said as Trump on 'SNL.' 'It died, then on the third day it was risen. And then on the fourth day it died again.' Trump has not responded to this week's 'SNL' cold open yet, though the president has been critical of how the comedy show has portrayed him in the past. 'Nothing funny about tired 'Saturday Night Live' on Fake News NBC!" he tweeted in 2019. 'Question is, how do the Networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution? Likewise for many other shows? Very unfair and should be looked into. This is the real Collusion!' 'SNL''s Trump sketch is the latest in a string of Easter-themed sketches in which the comedy show has combined Trump with religion. The show celebrated Easter last year by using the story of Jesus Christ's resurrection to mock Trump selling Bibles, after having the now-president interrupt The Last Supper in 2023 to compare his recent indictment on criminal charges—stemming from his alleged hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels—to Jesus' plight. 'If you haven't put it together folks, I've compared myself to Jesus, again,' Johnson said as Trump that year, adding, 'Because just like Jesus, all I did was be friendly to a sex worker and now they want to put me in jail.' The comedy program's mockery comes after Trump has drawn controversy for publicly comparing himself to Jesus or invoking Jesus on multiple occasions to complain about his legal troubles, sharing a fake courtroom sketch of Jesus by his side during his civil fraud trial in October 2023 and posting on Truth Social in March 2024 that he received a message saying, 'It's ironic that Christ walked through His greatest persecution the very week they are trying to steal your property from you.' The president also garnered criticism in 2020 for doing a photo shoot outside a church amid the unrest over George Floyd's death, holding up a Bible.
New York Times
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘S.N.L.': Laughing All the Way to Financial Chaos
With Easter approaching, it seemed appropriate for 'Saturday Night Live' to resurrect a favorite bit: a scene from the Bible that is interrupted by a comic monologue from James Austin Johnson playing President Trump. This weekend's broadcast, hosted by Jon Hamm and featuring the musical guest Lizzo, began with what looked like a straightforward re-enactment of the Cleansing of the Temple, with the role of Jesus played by Mikey Day. 'This will not stand,' Day said, overturning a money changer's table. 'I will rid this place of all its money.' The action paused so that Johnson could enter as Trump. 'Remind you of anyone?' he asked. 'Wow. I also got rid of money last week. But instead of one temple, I did whole country. Maybe even the globe. The money's gone.' Johnson continued: 'Hi, it's me, your favorite president, Donald Jesus Trump, comparing myself to the son of God once again. You know, many people are even calling me the messiah, because of the mess-I-ah made out of the economy.' The financial turmoil, he said, was 'all because of my beautiful tariffs — they're so beautiful. They were working so well that I had to stop them.' Johnson said that the stock market 'did a Jesus — it died.' 'Then on the third day, it was risen,' he continued. 'And then on the fourth day it died again, possibly never to return, just like Jesus. Where the heck is that guy? Come back, get me out of this. And Jesus Christ is a name we've been saying a lot lately. We're saying it a lot. We look at our 401(k) and say, 'Jesus Christ, where did it all go?'' Johnson threw in a few topical jokes about Passover and Easter, saying, 'We love hunting for eggs, just like everyone's doing in the grocery store right now, because they cost a trillion, billion dollars.' Finally, Johnson asked that we 'remember the lesson that Mister Jesus taught us when he went buck wild on those money changers: We must never mix religion with commerce.' He added, 'You can read all about that in my Trump Bible. Now made in America, so it costs $1,300 and it falls apart even faster.' News you can use of the week It hasn't been a pleasant time to be watching TV news unless you're a fan of large numbers preceded by minus signs, arrows pointed emphatically downward and the color red. If you'd prefer a news program that isn't any more soothing but at least tries to commiserate with you while apprising you of current events, there's CTCBC, the Check-to-Check Business Channel, whose anchors (Hamm and Nwodim, equipped with their fact-packed chyron) will keep you caught up with the financial bellwethers that really matter, like the price of boxed mac and cheese, or the increase in the cost of candy bars ('from, 'Sure, baby,' to 'Put that back'). 'White Lotus' parody of the week Unlike, say, everyone on the internet, 'S.N.L.' had largely avoided talking about the latest season of 'The White Lotus,' the much-dissected HBO anthology series. But this weekend, 'S.N.L.' put all the material it had been stockpiling into a big noisy blender, mixed it with some lorazepam and came up with 'The White POTUS,' a filmed segment that was a satire of both the show and U.S. politics. Johnson, once again, was President Trump — this time, a silent stand-in for Timothy Ratliff, the shady financier played by Jason Isaacs. Chloe Fineman was the first lady, Melania Trump, who nonetheless spoke with the North Carolina accent of Parker Posey's Victoria Ratliff: 'Can you imagine how awful it would be if America lost all its money and no one in the world respected us anymore?' she asked. (A reaction shot showed the Newsmax headline Johnson had been surreptitiously scanning on his phone: 'Trump Triggers Worldwide Recession.' Watch for return appearances from 'S.N.L.' alums Alex Moffat (as Eric Trump) and Beck Bennett (as Vladimir Putin, the Russian president); Scarlett Johansson, the 'S.N.L.' spouse and frequent host (as Ivanka Trump); 'White Lotus' cast member Jon Gries (as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick); and at least another week's worth of 'White Lotus' discourse online as a result. Weekend Update jokes of the week Over at the Weekend Update desk, the anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che continued to riff on the economic fallout of the tariffs imposed by President Trump. Jost began: Che continued: Weekend Update desk segment of the week Heard any good jokes about the economy lately? Well, for those who could handle even more, Bowen Yang was on hand as his character Chen Biao, a Chinese trade minister who had plenty of sassy thoughts about the growing trade war between his country and the United States, 'I'm just wondering, which side is more willing to endure hardship for the glory of their nation?' Yang asked. 'The one that's been around for thousands of years? Or the one that's sending Katy Perry to space?'
The Hill
13-04-2025
- Business
- The Hill
‘SNL' roasts Trump tariffs in Easter Cold Open: ‘Stock market did a Jesus'
'Saturday Night Live' mocked President Trump's tariffs in its Easter-themed Cold Open, saying the U.S. stock market 'did a Jesus.' The opening scene was a spoof on the 'Cleansing of the Temple,' where Jesus, played by Mikey Day, said he would rid Jerusalem's temple of 'all its money.' Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, appeared on stage and said, 'The money's gone.' 'It's me, your favorite president, Donald Jesus Trump, comparing myself to the son of God once again,' Johnson's Trump said. 'You know, many people are even calling me the Messiah because of the mess I uh made out of the economy.' Johnson, as Trump, said the tariffs were working so well he had to stop them and said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sought to strike a deal with the U.S. 'I said, let me cook, and then I burned dinner badly so we had to stop,' he said. 'But now, everything is back exactly how it was, minus a few trillion dollars and a historic transfer of wealth from the middle class to my buddies.' 'Oh well. It's true,' Johnson continued. 'The stock market did a Jesus. It died, then on the third day it was risen, and then on the fourth day it died again, possibly never to return, just like Jesus.' The stock market fluctuated last week as Trump's international tariff plan went into effect. All three major stock indexes lost a significant portion of gains later in the week from a Wednesday rise, which came after Trump decided to implement a pause on the sweeping reciprocal tariffs. The announcement brought some stability to the market, but after Trump pushed higher tariffs on China, stocks and bonds reversed much of their gains. During the 'SNL' skit, Johnson, playing Trump, said ahead of Easter, people have been saying 'Jesus Christ' a lot. 'Jesus Christ is the name we've been saying a lot lately. We're saying it a lot. We look at our 401K and say 'Jesus Christ where did it all go?'' Johnson said. 'I don't know but we're gonna fix that. Or not. We'll see. Should be interesting.'
NBC News
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Ahead of Easter, SNL's Trump says stocks 'did a Jesus' in falling, rising and falling again
"Saturday Night Live" did its best attempt to bring levity to the global economic turmoil sparked by President Donald Trump's uncertain and oft-changing tariffs. The show's cold open was a spoof of the biblical "Cleansing of the Temple," about Jesus' move to rid Jerusalem's temple of profiteers whose focus on monetary exchanges did not befit the solemnity of the location. "I will rid this place of all its money," said Jesus, played by Mikey Day. Enter James Austin Johnson's Trump: "Remind you of anyone? The money's gone. Hi. It's me, your favorite president, Donald Jesus Trump." Johnson's Trump admitted his "beautiful tariffs" upended the U.S. economy. Trump continued: "Many people are even calling me the Messiah, because of the mess I, uh, made out of the economy — all because of my beautiful tariffs. So beautiful. They were working so well I had to stop them." He took credit for restoring the economy to a semblance of normalcy. "Now everything is back exactly how it was," Trump said, "minus a few trillion dollars." He dismissed questions about whether a few members of his administration and inner circle may have taken profitable stock positions amid the turmoil, describing the situation as "a historic transfer of wealth from the middle class to my buddies." "Oh well," Trump said. He brought his meandering talk back to the theme of Easter. "It's true, the stock market did a Jesus," Trump said. "It died, then on the third day it was risen. And then on the fourth day it died again, possibly never to return, just like Jesus. Where is that guy? Come back. Get me out of this." Trump saved some breath for the occasion, saying it's sad some people only attend church on Christmas and Easter. "Not me, I don't go on those days, either," he said. Jon Hamm was the night's host. Lizzo was the musical guest. 'SNL' airs on NBC, a division of NBCUniversal, which is also the parent company of NBC News. Dennis Romero
