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In the November 9, 2024 episode of Saturday Night Live, James Austin Johnson appeared as an exaggeratedly muscular Donald Trump, while Dana Carvey played Elon Musk. The post-election cold open begins with sober concern about Trump’s victory, then pivots to conspicuously false professions of support—the insincere reversal is the sketch’s central joke.
When the sketch aired
The cold open appeared on November 9, 2024, in the first SNL episode after Trump won the election. Bill Burr hosted. The political premise is concentrated in the opening segment; the episode returned to other sketches afterward, apart from Weekend Update. The Associated Press’s recap reports the episode’s structure and cast appearances.
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How the cold open unfolds
Concern gives way to fake loyalty
The cast first speaks seriously about the election result and the risks they associate with Trump’s return to office. Then the tone changes: the performers pretend they had supported him all along. Kenan Thompson, speaking as himself in the sketch, says, “That is why we at ‘SNL’ would like to say to Donald Trump, we have been with you all along.” The apparent concession is deliberately unconvincing; the gap between the earlier concern and the sudden praise supplies the satire.
Johnson’s “Hot, Jacked Trump”
James Austin Johnson, already the show’s Trump impressionist, returns in a muscle suit. The costume makes the character’s new, flattering image literal: he jokes that the show has finally got his body right and promises adoration. “From now on we’re going to do a very flattering portrayal of Trump, because frankly he’s my hero,” Johnson’s Trump says, before adding that Trump will make “an incredible president and eventually king.” The extravagant praise signals the line is part of the joke, not an endorsement.
Carvey’s Musk enters the bit
Dana Carvey follows as Elon Musk, in a comic portrayal that ties Musk to the incoming administration. The character boasts, “I run the country now,” then compares the prospect to one of his rockets: “They’re super cool and super fun, but there’s a slight chance it could blow up and everybody dies.” He ends, “I’m Dark MAGA! See you in the White House!” Those are lines delivered by the sketch’s Musk character, not evidence of Musk’s actual authority or intentions. TV Insider’s recap gives the sequence and quotes, and links to the cold-open clip on YouTube; current access to that clip may vary.
What “Hot Jacked Trump” refers to
The phrase refers to Johnson’s muscle-suit version of Trump in this particular post-election cold open. It is a costume and character reveal, not a new performer taking over the impression. Carvey’s Musk is a separate role in the same segment. Contemporary coverage describes the flattery as sarcastic: TVLine’s recap also identifies the bit as the show’s first post-election sketch.
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Finding the clip
TV Insider’s article links the cold open under the title “SNL for Trump Cold Open – SNL.” That establishes a link to a digital clip, not present-day availability of the full episode or the clip in every country. Viewing access and terms can change by location and over time.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
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