Photo: Screenshot from the video
After the high-profile quarrel between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on 28 February, the topic of this meeting became the subject of satire on the popular US show Saturday Night Live (SNL).
The comedians did not ignore the acute moments of the leaders’ conversation, creating a sketch that mocked the behaviour of Trump, his Vice President J.D. Vance, and billionaire Elon Musk.
How it looked on air
In the sketch, the actors recreated the atmosphere of a meeting in the White House. The image of Trump claimed to have all the advantages:
“I have a ‘pass’. I have a ‘draw’. I have a ‘rollback’. I have a ‘get out of jail free card’ – the Supreme Court allowed me to do so,” Trump said from the stage.
“Zelenskyy responded by inviting American leaders to visit Ukraine. Vance responded with sarcasm:
“I’ve already been there via Google Maps.”
Separately, the show joked about Zelenskyy’s clothes, which Trump “did not like”. Here, Elon Musk appeared in jeans and a T-shirt, holding a chainsaw – a reference to a real-life episode when Musk received a chainsaw as a gift from the president of Argentina and waved it around.
SNL’s tradition of humour
The well-known satirical show Saturday Night Live has long been sparing no criticism for Donald Trump, and this episode was another example of political satire against him.
Zelensky’s support
After the scandalous meeting in the White House, Zelenskyy was supported by US senators from the Democratic Party, famous writers, actors and US military veterans, who publicly expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian president on social media.
This episode of SNL once again highlighted the extent to which the situation around the scandal has gone far beyond diplomacy and become part of the public and cultural debate in America.
