President Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) interrupted Bowen Yang, Marcello Hernández and Kenan Thompson’s sweet Mother’s Day celebration in this week’s “Saturday Night Live” cold open in order to celebrate the election of the first American pope and introduce viewers to the new United States attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro (a returning Cecily Strong).
Before Yang, Thompson and Hernández’s Mother’s Day song could reach its chorus, Johnson’s Trump came in to crash their party. “It’s me again, invading all aspects of your life!” he announced, while shooing the “SNL” cast members and their “moms” offstage. “Don’t worry. Those aren’t even the real moms. Those are actors! Can you believe that? ‘SNL’ wouldn’t spring for the flights.”
“There’s a new pope from Chicago,” Johnson’s Trump said, referencing the election this week of Illinois native Robert Prevost, now known as Pope Leo XIV. “We like Pope Leo. We hope he does… what we want. That’s what you want the pope to do — what you want, right? Otherwise, I’ll have to send [Vice President] JD [Vance] back to do his thing. Remember the last time JD met the pope?”
“He’s got the Midas Touch, but for bad things!” Johnson’s Trump observed. “He meets the pope? Dead! Goes to India? War! He joins my campaign? Trump wins!” You can watch the “SNL” cold open in the video below.
Trump interrupts a Mother’s Day message pic.twitter.com/1SKvMj0inV
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) May 11, 2025
Vance was not the only member of his administration that Johnson’s president shouted out Saturday night. He also celebrated his appointment of Pirro, who arrived “prepared” with a bag to carry her wine glass and bottle. “Mr. President, I’m so proud to be part of this group full of Russian assets, booze hounds and people famous for the little baby animals they’ve killed,” Strong’s Pirro drunkenly told Johnson’s Trump.
She went on to make a bunch of not-even-vaguely racist remarks about the citizens of Washington D.C., telling Johnson’s Trump, “I’m so glad we can talk like this again!” The president defended his appointment of Pirro, informing “SNL” viewers, “She’s a great legal mind! And she has the most important quality I look for in a lawyer: She’s on TV!”
“I love having people from Fox News [in my administration]. They all do an incredible job. Just look at [Secretary of Defense] Pete Hegseth! Not one mistake,” Johnson’s Trump added. “Oh, I love Pete Hegseth,” Strong’s Pirro responded. “He’s my old drinking buddy!” When “Weekend Update” host Colin Jost then stepped in to make his debut as Hegseth, taking over the role for fellow “SNL” cast member Andrew Dismukes, Strong’s Pirro reacted to his arrival by spitting a full swig of red wine right in his face.
“Hey, Pete, you’re not drinking again, are you?” Johnson’s Trump asked. “No, absolutely not, sir. I promised I would never have a bottle touch my lips [again],” Jost’s Hegseth responded, before passing a bottle of whiskey to Strong’s Pirro so she could spit the alcohol into his mouth. Standing next to the two Fox News personalities, Johnson’s Trump said, “Folks, they’re not the A-Team. They’re the AA-Team!”
