Donald Trump’s acquittal at his second impeachment trial was enough to send politics to the forefront of Saturday Night Live‘s cold open in its latest episode. The sketch featured Republicans reacting to the Senate voting 57-43 to convict Trump, historic in some ways but not nearly enough to convict the former president on charges of inciting insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6.
The sketch is framed as a Tucker Carlson episode on Fox News, with Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell and other cast member impressions of Republicans staying at the center of attention.
‘And now everybody is saying he attempted a coup,” Kate McKinnon’s Graham says at one point. “He didn’t attempt a coup he is coup. He is coup. He’s the coolest guy I know.”
With no Trump on camera in the real world, he stayed off it on SNL as well. Instead, Ted Cruz appeared on Fox News and had to deal with a chyron that reminded the world he continues to defend someone who regularly insulted him on the campaign trail.
Pete Davidson also appeared in the sketch to play Michael van der Veen, the Trump lawyer who mispronounced the city where he lives and later had an extremely awkward interview on the real Fox News later on Saturday. You can watch the full sketch above.