Former President Donald Trump appears to be escaping the Republican nomination for the White House, but his legal troubles have shown him to be less of a front-runner and more of a man in need of strong legal advice.
“Saturday Night Live” highlighted the challenges Trump faces in the courtroom by focusing on the critical responses to the performance of his lawyer, Alina Haba, in the Manhattan federal court trial this week, which will determine damages for his defamation of author E. Jean Carroll.
In the real-life proceedings, Haba’s court skills were criticized by Judge Lewis Kaplan, who when inquired about Carroll’s income said, “Come on, this is evidence 101!”
And at Studio 8H on Saturday, Haba, played by SNL cast member Chloe Fineman, was humbled: “I’m new at this, and I’m learning.”
James Austin Johnson depicted a curvy and mostly unaffected Trump in the drawing.
After several days of court appearances on issues including how to describe his bank loan assets and his role in attempts to thwart the certification of the 2020 presidential election on January 6, the former president said he had run out of good lawyers.
“The bottom of the barrel,” he said of those who are able to defend him amid the possibility of non-payment.
Pointing to Kaplan’s real-life rebuke of Trump for his outspoken statements during the trial, Austin Johnson’s version pledged to respect the court. He added: “I will not say that the judge is a fool.”
The former president acknowledged in the graphic that his chances of securing a second term depended on the demographics of voters in the twilight period. “We just want them to survive until November,” he said.
“Just pull that lever and drop dead,” he added.
In a pop culture moment of crossover lightning, Rachel McAdams, who portrayed the main bully, Regina George, in the 2004 film “Mean Girls,” introduced tonight’s musical guest, Renee Rapp, who portrays the character in the 2024 musical version of the film. .
The comedy show also showed the horror of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 in the face and found some laughs. The flight lasted about 10 minutes and was flying over the Portland area on January 5, when a panel known as a door seal exploded and the plane, which was carrying passengers traveling from Portland, Oregon, to Southern California, came under intense pressure. No one was seriously injured.
While federal investigators focused on installing devices used on Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 planes, SNL focused on Alaska Airlines’ problems by conceiving a television ad that sought to reassure travelers that the airline was safe and entertaining.
“Here in Alaska, safety is our number one concern,” said tonight’s host, big-screen actor Jacob Elordi, in the potential TV spot while filming an Alaskan crew member.
“Our new slogan is ‘Alaska Airlines: You’re not dead, you’ve got a great story,'” said cast member Heidi Gardner, who was dressed as a crewmate.
However, the TV ad contained more reassuring words, informing travelers that its planes would be solid planes: “You know those bolts that, like, hold the plane together?” – asked Elordi. “We’ll go ahead and tighten some of it.”