SNL's Donald Trump compares himself to Jesus, favorably, in special Easter cold open
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Saturday Night Live opened its Holy Saturday show with a pretty straightforward re-enactment of the Last Supper, with Jesus Christ predicting his coming persecution and death on a cross. "Sound familiar?" freshly arrested former President Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) asked, stepping in front of the tableau. "A famous wonderful man arrested for no reason at all. If you haven't put it together, folks, I'm comparing myself to Jesus again. And what better time than on his birthday, Easter?"
Comparing Trump to Jesus after his arraignment in New York is a real thing prominent Trump supporters did last week.
SNL's Trump went on to compare Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) to Judas and said he would have been resurrected in two days, not three. "Now people are saying perhaps I'm even better that Jesus, because I'm a self-made billionaire and Christ was — let's call it what it is — a nepo-baby, okay?" he said. "I mean, his dad was God. It's pretty easy to start a religion when your dad is God. He did Good Friday, I said, Why not make it great? We could make it great. With me, we'll be doing Great Friday."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
