‘SNL’ Cold Open Mocks Trump Dodging Questions About Epstein Files

Saturday Night Live skewered President Donald Trump on last night’s (November 15) show, as the past week has seen increased pressure on the Trump administration to release the Epstein files.

The cold open skit started with Ashley Padilla portraying White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as she dodged questions about Trump’s relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

This came after Democratic members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released thousands of Epstein documents on Tuesday (November 11), which included emails from the disgraced financier, three of which referenced Trump.

“Look, the only thing these emails prove is that President Trump did nothing wrong. If anything, his crime was loving too much — and possibly too young,” Padilla’s Leavitt said at one point.

Later in the sketch, Trump (James Austin Johnson) himself took to the podium to answer some questions.

“I am hiding almost nothing — just enough to make it extremely suspicious,” Johnson’s Trump said, adding, “I barely knew the guy, okay? As evidenced by the thousands of pictures of us together, dancing and grinding our teeth at various parties, always leering and pointing at something just off-camera… probably a book we’re excited to read.”

He continued, “But let me ask you a question. If there was something incriminating about me in the files, then why would I cover them up?”

Kenan Thompson‘s confused reporter responded, “Isn’t that exactly why you would cover them up?”

“Okay, let me go again. If I was innocent, wouldn’t I just release all the files?” the President replied, which again further puzzled Thompson’s character.

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By the end of the skit, Johnson’s Trump said he would release the Epstein files, but in a very specific format.

“Each file will be on sale for the low, low price of $800,” Johnson’s Trump revealed, holding up a gold-framed printed out screenshot of one of the Epstein emails. “This is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind, printed-out screenshot in very low-res of one of the many files mentioning President Trump. It makes a great stocking stuffer.”

“I just ordered the one that says, ‘Does Putin have the photo of Trump blowing Bubba?'” Johnson’s Trump added, referencing a quote from one of the released emails. “We love that one. Whatever the hell that means.”

You can watch the full cold open segment in the video above and let us know your thoughts below.