Latest news with #MakeAmericaGreatDepressionAgain
The Hill
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
‘SNL' Cold Open roasts Trump tariffs, Tesla vandalism
The latest Cold Open of Saturday Night Live recreated President Trump's speech at the Rose Garden, where he announced sweeping global tariffs. In the introductory voice-over, the narrator declared that the tariffs, 'like everything else so far in his presidency, it was a total home run.' Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, went on to announce the tariffs, which he said was his favorite word because it was 'short for tariff-ic idea,' and it was like a 'series of random numbers, like the numbers on the computer screen in 'Severance.'' He also said the tariffs were an effort to 'Make America Great Depression Again,' or 'MAGDA.' 'You know what? It'll be gr — it'll be better than great,' Johnson's Trump said. 'It'll be a fantastic, unbelievable Depression, the likes of which you've never seen before.' The skit also referenced Trump's effort to levy taxes on several uninhabited or sparsely populated islands with little to no exports. 'No country is safe from my tariffs,' Johnson said. 'I even put tariffs on an island that is uninhabited by humans.' Johnson's Trump also criticized trade with other countries, including South Africa. 'They've never even sent us one good thing,' he said before Mike Myers's Elon Musk, wearing a cheese hat, a reference to Musk's recent visit to Wisconsin, joined the stage. The tech billionaire flew to Wisconsin the Sunday before the state Supreme Court election to hand out $1 million checks to multiple voters who signed his petition against 'activist judges.' 'What about me?' Myers's Musk asked. 'That was from when I tried to buy the election in Wisconsin,' he added. 'I'm an idiot. I should have just bought Wisconsin.' 'Suddenly, no one likes Tesla cars,' he continued. 'So I asked myself why and then I answered myself: because of me.' He went on to play a video that introduced a new Tesla that he described as 'the first electric car in history to be fully self-vandalizing.' Reports of vandalism at Tesla dealerships have spiked more broadly since Musk took the spotlight alongside Trump, especially when the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began its purge of federal workers and funding for foreign aid programs. In response to the skit, Musk wrote on his social media platform X that SNL 'hasn't been funny in a long time.' 'They are their own parody,' he wrote.
USA Today
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
'SNL' cold open takes aim at Trump's tariffs, mocks Morgan Wallen exit
'SNL' cold open takes aim at Trump's tariffs, mocks Morgan Wallen exit Show Caption Hide Caption Morgan Wallen dodges 'SNL' cast post-show, sparking criticism Morgan Wallen sparked controversy by abruptly walking off stage at the end of "Saturday Night Live" after serving as the musical guest. unbranded - Entertainment "Saturday Night Live" is taking aim at President Donald Trump − and its own recent musical guest Morgan Wallen. In the sketch comedy show's latest cold open, Trump (James Austin Johnson) unveiled his administration's new tariffs, which he described as a "series of random numbers, like the numbers on the computer screen in 'Severance.' " He riffed about how confusing the rollout of the tariffs was while declaring that this was all part of his plan to "Make America Great Depression Again," or "MAGDA." "It'll be better than great," Johnson's Trump said. "It'll be a fantastic, unbelievable depression, the likes of which we've never seen before. This depression is going to be so great, we'll be the ones eating the cats and the dogs." Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox As Trump continued speaking, the sketch took a dig at Wallen, who served as musical guest last week but abruptly walked off stage before the credits finished rolling. After Trump displayed a graphic of McDonald Island occupied by actual McDonald's hamburgers, he said, "Get me to God's country, right?" The line prompted applause from the studio audience. Wallen posted the phrase "Get me to God's country" on Instagram with a photo of a plane after he exited during the "SNL" signoff rather than sticking around to mingle with the cast, as is tradition. The country singer later began selling "Get me to God's country" merchandise in his online store. Mike Myers also returned as Elon Musk in the cold open to introduce a new Tesla car that's "fully self-vandalizing." But when the billionaire said that Trump's tariffs sounded "really dumb," the president quickly ushered him away. Later, "Weekend Update" similarly mocked Trump's tariffs while simultaneously roasting Wallen. While joking about the stock market having its worst week since 2020, anchor Colin Jost said, "Just in the past two days, investors have lost over $6 trillion. Money is leaving the stock market faster than Morgan Wallen at goodnights." The segment displayed an image of Wallen walking off the stage. 'Get me to God's country': Morgan Wallen abruptly leaves 'SNL' stage Ego Nwodim accidentally prompts audience to curse on 'Weekend Update': 'Lorne's gonna be mad' One moment of the show may have left the network's censors unhappy. During "Weekend Update," Ego Nwodim argued she should host the White House Correspondents' Dinner, even though the organization announced it would not showcase a comedian this year. To pitch herself for the job, Nwodim declared she would avoid controversy by simply making jokes about the food being served at the dinner. This launched Nwodim into a food-themed stand-up set, which also included jokes complaining about men. At one point, she prompted the audience to participate by pointing the microphone toward the crowd and asking, "These men ain't what?" But Nwodim, Jost and Michael Che all appeared shocked when the crowd responded with a curse word, which went out uncensored on NBC's East Coast broadcast. It was removed from the YouTube clip of the segment, though it remained on the Peacock version of the show. "Y'all gonna have to pay for that," Nwodim joked. "Lorne's gonna be mad at y'all," referencing "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels. Morgan Wallen: The country singer is selling 'get me to God's country' merch after abrupt 'SNL' exit 'SNL' pays tribute to past host Val Kilmer, who died on April 1 The show ended on a touching note with a tribute to Val Kilmer, who died Tuesday from pneumonia at age 65. Just before the end credits, a graphic of Kilmer was shown on screen. The "Top Gun" star hosted "SNL" in 2000 with musical guest U2. Jack Black hosted Saturday's episode and said during the signoff that doing so was a "life highlight" for him. "SNL" will return next week with host Jon Hamm and musical guest Lizzo.
The Guardian
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Saturday Night Live: Jack Black returns for a stellar episode
Saturday Night Live opens with president Trump's (James Austin Johnson's) liberation day speech, where he rolled out his disastrous tariff plan, which he calls Magda: 'Make America Great Depression Again.' Trump notes that no country is safe from his tariffs, including what he mistakenly thinks is a place called McDonald's Island ('Get me to God's Country,' he exclaims in the first of two digs at last weeks musical guest Morgan Wallen, which gets a huge pop from the crowd), as well as South Africa. The mention of the latter nation brings out Elon Musk (Mike Myers), who glitches out before whining about how poorly Tesla is doing. To combat this, he introduces a new, fully self-vandalizing model, which comes complete with AI-powered graffiti. Choice includes penises, swastikas, and his favorite, 'Swastikas made out of penises.' Before he can complain about how dumb the tariffs are, Trump pushes him out of the way and wraps things up. This is a thoroughly fine send-up of this week's big news story. Johnson is on point as ever, Myers's Musk remains solid and appropriately mean-spirited, and the jokes about the tariffs basically write themselves. Jack Black hosts for the fourth time, but the first time in 20 years. The pressure is too much, so he decides to quit on the spot, until he's brought back around by the band rocking out. He performs a self-referential version of Steve Winwood's Back in the Highlife Again, taking it into the crowd before introducing a marching band for the big finish. It is a characteristically electric performance, but one that some of Black's fans might find hard to fully enjoy in the wake of his throwing longtime friend and Tenacious D bandmate Kyle Gass under the bus this past summer after an on-stage Trump joke led to rightwing backlash. Love Match is a game show where a single gal picks from three available bachelors, none of whom she can see. The contestants include a nerdy nice guy, a baby-faced playboy, and Black's Gene, an emotionally intuitive man cosplaying as Indiana Jones. When Gene starts to win the girl over, the host intercedes to let her know he's dressed like the iconic adventurer, which leads to an argument about whether he has ever heard of the character. This is in line with a certain modern-day SNL sketches based entirely around the minutia of a pop culture institution; see the Matt Damon Weezer sketch from a few years back or the Chris Rock Simpsons one from earlier this season. These are usually fun, but this one doesn't push the premise or specificity far enough. Then, Black teams up with Cheetos mascot Chester Cheetah to pitch Flamin' Hot Preparation H. Brief and disposable, but the visual of Black bent over a chair, pants and underwear down around his ankles, applying the burning cream to his hind parts as his CGI pal watches in horror, is good for a laugh. A dinner between college friends turns into a game of liberal one-upmanship, as each of them brag about how they have given up social media and alcohol, only read physical books, shop at thrift stores, watch foreign films with no subtitles, teach Spanish to special needs kids, and swim exclusively at black-owned pools. A solid fart joke can't save this one from the fourth wall breaking mugging. We travel back in times to Athens, circa 500 BC, to witness the first performance of the first ever play. The audience, not understanding what they're watching, continually interrupt the performance, accusing the actors of lying and tricking them–at least until they're promised nudity. This is better in concept than execution. Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim perform a Jamaican reggae song about miserable goth kids dragged to the sunny island on family vacations. Black jumps in as said goth kid all grown up, singing to the tune of My Chemical Romance's Welcome to the Black Parade. That unexpected moment, along with Michael Longfellow's very convincing goth brat, make this a winner. Elton John and Brandi Carlile are the night's musical guest. They play the rollicking honky-tonk song Little Richard's Bible. This is a breath of fresh air after last week's miserable turn. Speaking of, Colin Jost kicks off Weekend Update by reporting, 'Money is leaving the stock market faster than Morgan Wallen at good night.' A little later, he brings back previous Update guests Grant and Alyssa (Marcello Hernández and Jane Wickline), the couple you can't believe are together, to talk about spring romance. The boorish bro and nerdy wallflower explain that their dynamic works because they have ground rules: he does the dishes ('Because I like playing in the water'), she cooks ('Because I'm not allowed to touch the stove'), and finally, per her, 'Don't wear those little shorts around unless you're trying to drop them.' The characters are clearly heightened versions of the performers, which is a big reason why they land. Jost reports on Russell Brand being charged for rape, before wincingly rolling a clip of Brand as SNL host, introducing musical guest Chris Brown. Then, in response to the White House Correspondents' Dinner's announcement that they will no longer feature a comedian at their yearly celebration out of deference to Trump, Nwodim comes out to make the case for herself hosting. She promises not to talk politics and instead only do material about the actual diner. Taking up Def Jam-inspired persona she performs a tight 3, getting the audience to shout out 'SHIT!' at one point. A great turn from Nwodim, whose fake material is funnier than most jokes on SNL these days. Black and Sarah Sherman play a new couple who decide to take things to the next level by sleeping together. This leads to a sensual ballad (which they perform while floating above the bedroom set on wires). But, as described in their song, the lackluster sex ('First we do things to me for a while, then we do things to you not that long') and dirty talk ('You've been so bad I'm gonna … kill you'), lead them to bring in a third (Bowen Yang) and even a fourth (Carlile). Kudos to Carlile for making her comedy debut via literal high-wire act. Next, Black fronts a jam band, inviting musicians in the crowd to jump on stage and get in on their cover of Tom Petty's Free Falling. But everyone who joins in – a couple of long-haired hippies, a busty wet T-shirt contestant, a crackhead, even a dog – only plays the bass. Like the musicians in the sketch, this is one-note. John and Carlile perform their second set, then the show wraps up with a black-and-white sketch set on VJ Day. We see the events surrounding the famous photo taken of a returning sailor kissing a nurse in Time's Square. The nurse's actual boyfriend, a hot-dog scarfing doofus who spent the war stateside drawing racist (even for the time) propaganda cartoons, watches in shock and dismay as she makes out with half a dozen returning troops. There's not much meat on this bone, but the cast is having fun with their old-timey accents. It beats most of the recent episode enders. Following a quick tribute to the late, great Val Kilmer, we get the curtain call, with everyone sticking around this time. This episode was a big improvement over last week's, thanks to them knowing how to use the host, two excellent performances from real-deal star musicians, and a show-stealing turn from Nwodim.
The Independent
06-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Trump live updates: Harris praises the ‘working people' for ‘Hands Off' protests against Trump and Musk
Former Vice President Kamala Harris praised the millions of protesters who gathered at 1,300 'Hands Off' demonstrations across the country Saturday for 'standing up' to the Trump administration. 'Thank you for using your voices and the power of protest to stand for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; for the Department of Education and programs like Head Start; for clean air and water; for the right to make decisions about your own body without government interference,' Harris wrote on X. 'The voices of working people will always be louder than the unelected billionaires.' Protesters staged demonstrations at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and in more than 1,000 other places nationwide, asking for President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to get their 'hands off' health care, public lands, immigrants, LGBTQ+ rights, cancer research, and more. DOGE has executed mass layoffs across the federal workforce, slashed contracts, and made strides to reduce the federal government's real estate footprint. Meanwhile, in recent weeks, the administration ordered many immigrants to be deported from the U.S., cut funding for health programs, and took steps to shutter federal agencies. Speaking to a crowd in D.C., Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin described Trump as 'an economy-crushing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.' The demonstrations come one day after the stock market closed with a bloodbath on Friday, as investors are spooked about the impact of Trump's tariff plan that he unveiled Wednesday. SNL cold open mocks Trump tariffs with 'Make America Great Depression Again' line Saturday Night Live's James Austin Johnson took to the stage as President Donald Trump, promising to 'Make America Great Depression Again' in a spoof of the president's 'Liberation Day' announcement in which he detailed his widespread tariffs. 'Thank you all for coming out to hear about tariffs. My favorite word, tariff, which, of course, is short for a-terrific-idea,' said Trump, calling the tax on Americans the 'backbone of my incredible plan for our economy.' 'It's actually even better than a plan, because it's a series of random numbers, like the numbers on the computer screen in Severance,' he added. 'You have no idea what the hell they mean, but I know what the numbers mean … They mean we're gonna make America wealthy again. You know you're gonna check your stock portfolio in a couple days and think 'I'm almost too wealthy.'' But before all that, the president said, 'We're going to do MAGDA — Make America Great Depression Again … It'll be better than great. It'll be a fantastic, unbelievable depression, the likes of which have never been seen before.' Gustaf Kilander has the story. SNL cold open mocks Trump tariffs with 'Make America Great Depression Again' line 'You know, the depression is going to be so great. We'll be the ones eating the cats and the dogs. That's going to be fun' Kelly Rissman6 April 2025 14:30 WATCH: Canada 'will win' trade war with Trump, says PM Carney Democrats in Pennsylvania are angry. John Fetterman's old rival is listening Glenn Thompson's cardboard cutout took some real abuse on Saturday, as a room full of Pennsylvania Democrats let out their frustrations. A few other members of the state's congressional delegation might be thankful that his likeness was the only one on display. Thompson, on his fourth term in the House of Representatives, is just one of dozens of Republican lawmakers who have scaled back public events or avoided them completely amid nationwide outrage from Americans set to see steep cuts to funding for programs in their communities and their own personal safety nets under a Trump 2.0 agenda. Town hall events have become raucous gatherings where Republicans like Victoria Spartz, Chuck Edwards and others have been forced to confront angry voters demanding Congress take action to stop Elon Musk's DOGE firing spree affecting the Social Security Administration, USAID and other agencies. John Bowden has the story. Democrats in Pennsylvania are angry. John Fetterman's old rival is listening Amid Trump's unprecedented slash-and-burn of the federal government, many Democratic voters feel their party is not doing enough to fight back. John Bowden reports from State College, Pennsylvania on a former congressman looking to meet the moment Kelly Rissman6 April 2025 13:00 Justice Department seeks 87-month sentence for former GOP Rep. George Santos The Department of Justice is seeking an 87-month sentence for former New York Republican Rep. George Santos after he pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft last August. 'Santos' history and characteristics are troubling in the extreme. Santos is a pathological liar and fraudster,' states the 26-page sentencing memo from the department. 'For years, Santos manufactured and promoted a fictionalized biography, one that depicted himself as a highly educated, independently wealthy, successful businessman, all premised on a heap of lies.' Santos was elected in the 2022 midterms when he flipped a Democratic district covering parts of Long Island and Queens. His life story, however, was quickly found to be largely fabricated. His claims that he worked at top firms on Wall Street and had attended a particular college were debunked, and the financing of his campaign raised questions. Santos was expelled from Congress in December 2023, after only 11 months as a representative. He was only the sixth member to be expelled; the other five were members of the confederacy. Gustaf Kilander6 April 2025 12:00 DHS claims these tattoos show Venezuelan gang membership. The tattoo artists who did them say the truth is a lot more innocent In its sweeping deportation campaign against Venezuelan immigrants, the Trump administration has repeatedly relied on tattoos to determine whether someone is a member of the feared criminal syndicate Tren de Aragua. But The Independent has found that the U.S. government's examples of TDA tattoos, created under the Biden administration, include art by artists in the UK and India, who say the tattoos they etched had innocent meanings. One honored the birth of a child, while another appears to commemorate the Aussie rock band AC/DC. 'It is mind-blowing that this is being used as an example of gang tattoos. It makes no sense at all,' the British artist whose clock tattoo appears in a 2024 Department of Homeland Security briefing on 'detecting and identifying' TDA members told The Independent. 'I have no relationship to Venezuelan gangs, and my art has nothing to do with them.' Io Dodds has the details. DHS claims these tattoos show Venezuelan gang membership. The tattoo artists deny it 'It's mind-blowing... a total misrepresentation,' one British tattoo artist whose work was cited as a symbol of the crime syndicate Tren de Aragua tells Io Dodds Kelly Rissman6 April 2025 10:00 Millions flocked to the streets across the country in protest of President Donald Trump's administration's cuts to health program funding, mass firings of federal workers and steps toward shuttering entire agencies. 'Hands Off' protests, organized by nearly 200 advocacy groups, cropped up in more than 1,000 locations across the U.S. and around the globe Saturday in what became the largest day of collective action since Trump was inaugurated for a second time. The protests aimed to put a stop to the 'most brazen power grab in modern history,' organizers said. Millions — from Los Angeles to London — marched to advocate for civil rights, healthcare, democracy, workers' rights and LGBTQ+ rights that have been under 'assault' by the Trump administration and GOP Congress members, they added. Read the full story. Trump and Musk denounced as thousands protest in cities across US Protesters flooded the streets in hopes of stopping what one dubbed 'the most brazen power grab in modern history' Kelly Rissman6 April 2025 08:00 Ukrainian refugees accidentally told to leave in mistaken email Ukrainians legally in the U.S. were told in an email mistakenly sent Friday by the Department of Homeland Security that their parole status had been withdrawn and that they had to self-deport, according to Politico. The email, sent to an unidentified number of people, prompted widespread fear among those who came to the U.S. to flee the full-scale Russian invasion that began in February 2022. The refugees have been increasingly concerned about their legal status in the country, as President Donald Trump said last month that they could revoke their residency status. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told the outlet that the U.S. has not yet revoked the temporary parole status handed to the 240,000 Ukrainians who came to the U.S., fleeing the war under former President Joe Biden. 240,000 Ukrainians came to the U.S., fleeing the war under former President Joe Biden Gustaf Kilander6 April 2025 07:00 DOJ lawyers file emergency appeal on order requiring return of Maryland man mistakenly sent to El Salvador The Trump administration is arguing that a federal judge didn't have the authority to order the return of a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, a Saturday filing reveals. On Friday. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the administration to 'facilitate and effectuate' Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S. by late Monday night. On Saturday, government lawyers filed an emergency appeal, requesting the court pause the judge's order. 'A judicial order that forces the Executive to engage with a foreign power in a certain way, let alone compel a certain action by a foreign sovereign, is constitutionally intolerable,' the attorneys wrote in a filing in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court asked Abrego Garcia's lawyers to respond to the government's filing by Sunday afternoon, according to the Associated Press. The arrest and wrongful removal of a Salvadoran immigrant from the United States was unconstitutional 'from the moment he was seized,' a federal judge told lawyers for Donald Trump's administration on Friday. 'He was apprehended without legal basis … and without due process,' Judge Xinis said. Alex Woodward has more on the story. Judge orders Trump to return Maryland father deported to El Salvador Government attorneys argued in court filings that the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia was no longer in their hands despite admitting he was removed due to an 'administrative error' Kelly Rissman6 April 2025 06:00 Trump vows to 'Make America Great Depression Again' in SNL cold open spoof on tariffs announcement Saturday Night Live's James Austin Johnson took to the stage as President Donald Trump, promising to 'Make America Great Depression Again' in a spoof of the president's 'Liberation Day' announcement in which he detailed his widespread tariffs. 'Thank you all for coming out to hear about tariffs. My favorite word, tariff, which, of course, is short for a-terrific-idea,' said Trump, calling the tax on Americans the 'backbone of my incredible plan for our economy.' 'It's actually even better than a plan, because it's a series of random numbers, like the numbers on the computer screen in Severance,' he added. 'You have no idea what the hell they mean, but I know what the numbers mean … They mean we're gonna make America wealthy again. You know you're gonna check your stock portfolio in a couple days and think 'I'm almost too wealthy.'' 'You know, the depression is going to be so great. We'll be the ones eating the cats and the dogs. That's going to be fun' Gustaf Kilander6 April 2025 05:35 Justice Department lawyer placed on leave after questioning deportation of Maryland man A top immigration attorney at the Department of Justice was placed on indefinite leave Saturday after he questioned the deportation of a Maryland man to El Salvador, according to The New York Times. A letter obtained by the paper, which had been sent to Erez Reuveni, the acting deputy director of the immigration litigation division, states that he was suspended by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for not following 'a directive from your superiors.' This comes after Reuveni was promoted just two weeks ago. He's one of several career officials who have faced demotion, suspension, a transfer, or been fired for not following directions from Trump appointees. Gustaf Kilander6 April 2025 05:00
The Independent
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
SNL cold open mocks Trump tariffs with ‘Make America Great Depression Again' line
Saturday Night Live's James Austin Johnson took to the stage as President Donald Trump, promising to 'Make America Great Depression Again' in a spoof of the president's 'Liberation Day' announcement in which he detailed his widespread tariffs. 'Thank you all for coming out to hear about tariffs. My favorite word, tariff, which, of course, is short for a-terrific-idea,' said Trump, calling the tax on Americans the 'backbone of my incredible plan for our economy.' 'It's actually even better than a plan, because it's a series of random numbers, like the numbers on the computer screen in Severance,' he added. 'You have no idea what the hell they mean, but I know what the numbers mean … They mean we're gonna make America wealthy again. You know you're gonna check your stock portfolio in a couple days and think 'I'm almost too wealthy.'' But before all that, the president said, 'We're going to do MAGDA — Make America Great Depression Again … It'll be better than great. It'll be a fantastic, unbelievable depression, the likes of which have never been seen before.' Johnson, as Trump, called back to the campaign in the fall when the president, then a candidate for office, spread the conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were stealing and eating people's pets. 'You know, the depression is going to be so great. We'll be the ones eating the cats and the dogs. That's going to be fun,' he said. As he announced widespread tariffs on Wednesday, the actual Trump claimed that the Great Depression would never have happened had the U.S. stuck to its tariff policy — even though experts say the tariffs worsened the economy at the time. Trump indicated trouble began after the income tax was launched in 1913. Before that, the U.S. relied on tariffs. 'From 1789 to 1913, we were a tariff-backed nation, and the United States was proportionately the wealthiest it has ever been,' the president argued. The U.S. was 'collecting so much money, so fast, we didn't know what to do with it,' claimed Trump. 'Then, in 1913, for reasons unknown to mankind, they established the income tax so citizens, rather than foreign countries, would start paying the money necessary to run our government,' he said. Tariffs imposed on foreign goods aren't paid by foreign nations as Trump often falsely claims. U.S. tariffs imposed on imported goods are paid to the American government by companies in the U.S. importing the goods. Much, if not all, of that extra cost is passed onto consumers in the form of higher purchase prices. Trump claimed Wednesday that the good times in the U.S. 'all came to a very abrupt end with the Great Depression' in 1929. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 raised tariffs on thousands of goods and is widely seen as exacerbating the economic downward spiral. Smoot-Hawley 'remains a watchword for the perils of protectionism,' notes the State Department 's Office of the Historian. 'Smoot-Hawley did nothing to foster cooperation among nations in either the economic or political realm during a perilous era in international relations,' the site states. 'It quickly became a symbol of the 'beggar-thy-neighbor' policies of the 1930s. Such policies, which were adopted by many countries during this time, contributed to a drastic contraction of international trade.' The act is viewed as having worsened the economic decline, which lasted between 1929 and 1939, as it undermined international trade and drastically reduced the nation's income from products. On Saturday night, SNL moved on to mocking Trump's massive board on which the tariffs were laid out. 'We listed the countries in an order that's neither alphabetical nor numerical for maximum confusion,' said the president. 'The tariffs will be reciprocal. We love the word reciprocal, unless it's in the bedroom, right fellas? You want me to do what? Yeah, the guys know what I'm talking about.' 'We need to send a message to countries who have been ripping us off, like South Africa. South Africa puts a 60 percent tariff on everything we send them, and they've never even sent us one good thing,' said Trump, prompting the appearance of Mike Myers as Elon Musk – the South African-born head of DOGE – lamenting the protests against Tesla. 'We're introducing the new Tesla Model V, the first electric car in history to be fully self-vandalizing, with features like self-smashing headlights, self-slashing tires, and AI-powered graffiti,' said Musk. 'You can choose from penises or swastikas or my favorite — swastikas made out of penises.' 'Wow. Swastikas made of penises — we are truly the party of Lincoln,' Trump responded.
