Saturday Night Live opened its 52nd season by turning President Donald Trump’s unusually cordial relationship with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani into the centerpiece of its opening sketch.
The Sept. 26 premiere, hosted by New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson with KATSEYE as musical guest, featured James Austin Johnson returning as Trump and Ramy Youssef as Mamdani. The sketch began with Mamdani dealing with a nor’easter approaching New York before Trump unexpectedly arrived, with the president character repeatedly emphasizing his affection for the mayor.
The premise draws on a relationship that has attracted attention outside the comedy show. Trump and Mamdani have sharply different political positions but have held several meetings and maintained a cordial public relationship. Their most recent meeting took place at Gracie Mansion during Trump’s September visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
The sketch also introduced a fictionalized version of Natalie Harp, a Trump aide, whose appearance disrupted the exchange between the president and mayor. The character became part of the increasingly surreal direction of the cold open as the two politicians’ relationship was exaggerated for comedic effect.
The Trump-Mamdani dynamic has provided material for political commentators because their public interactions have contrasted with their disagreements over issues including immigration and federal policy. Trump has at times criticized Mamdani while also publicly expressing support for his potential as mayor.
For SNL, the relationship offered an opening-season premise built around two prominent New York political figures whose real-world encounters have already attracted national attention. The program’s portrayal was presented as satire rather than a factual account of the two men’s private relationship.
Sources: The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, New York Post, NBCUniversal and The A.V. Club.