Trump trial and VP choice

The 49^e season finale of “Saturday Night Live” opened with James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump speaking from the barricades of a Manhattan courthouse in a nod to Trump’s ongoing legal troubles during his presidential campaign.

During the skit, Johnson spoke as Trump talked about his “weird and depressing” condition in the courthouse, saying, “I don’t like being in the courtroom because they say really mean things about me while I’m trying to sleep.” (It was reported that Trump fell asleep in court during the proceedings.) He continues: “With my defense scheduled to begin on Monday, I would like to testify; I’m not afraid to testify at all, I’m just not going to do it out of fear.”

He continues to say he doesn’t want to return to the White House: “But it seems like people want to send me there.” Johnson’s Trump also jokes about Trump’s falsified election claims. “For me it is much better not to win and to say that it was manipulated.”

Johnson makes fun of Trump’s sexist comments about women (and how he once said Heidi Klum is “no longer a 10”), as Trump says of a juror at his trial: “They call her juror 9, but to me she’s like a six, honey.”

Johnson’s Trump then introduced three of his potential VP candidates. “We like to say ‘VP,’ like ‘Veep’ with Elaine from ‘Seinfeld.’ She can’t dance!” He says he won’t announce his vice president yet. “In many ways it will be determined by the winner of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight.” Trump says he invited a few people from “my short list — I mean my short list.”

He brings up South Carolina Governor Tim Scott (played by Devon Walker). “I’m here to help Trump win the black vote,” he says. Trump adds: “I’m more popular than you among blacks, and that really means something.” Walker, as Scott says, “Black people have called my support demeaning, but trust me, I’m my own man!”

Trump then brings out South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (played by Heidi Gardner), wearing a red MAGA hat, holding a stuffed dog and pointing a fake gun at the dog (a reference to the shooting of a dog). “She shot a dog, which is really out of the question… but on the other hand, she shot a dog, which is pretty awesome.” Gardner, as Noem steps in and says, “I kill goats too!”

Finally, he pulls off his final VP pick: “The late great Hannibal Lecter!” says Trump, as Mikey Day is wheeled out as Hannibal Lecter in an orange jumpsuit and wearing the famous mask. “I think he would really scare everyone at the border. “Get him out of here, he’s giving me Pence vibes,” Trump says, as Hannibal Lecter is then driven away.

Trump says it will be “the summer of Trump”. You get that Trump espresso,” he sings in a reference to a Sabrina Carpenter song. Johnson, as Trump says he will also sell more Trump Bibles, along with a “Trump Torah.”

Trump ends his cold, open cry: “In the words of my mentor, the late great Hannibal Lecter, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

This week’s host of “SNL” is actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and Sabrina Carpenter stars as the musical guest of the week.

Check out the sketch below: