On March 1, Saturday Night Live (SNL) uploaded a video titled “Trump Iran War Address Cold Open” in response to President Donald Trump’s statement regarding the US beginning major combat operations in Iran, released on Feb. 28. Due to the intensity and shock of this statement, producers of the show ditched their efforts to make a video based on the 2026 State of the Union Address and quickly put together a new script to post the next day.
The video began with a short statement poking fun at how Trump gave the war address to the US at the “very normal time of two in the morning.” Immediately after, James Austin Johnson, the man who has impersonated Trump on the show since 2021, appeared on screen. He wore a suit, along with a white hat with “USA” embroidered on it, copying Trump’s look from the actual address.
The actor opened with “Good evening, and happy World War III to those who celebrate,” bringing in the very real fear of a severe escalation of current global conflict. He then explained that the reason Trump chose to launch the attack was the Board of Peace becoming too bored of peace – a clever play on words. Johnson stated that he had to do something because Iran was developing a nuclear weapon that would be ready in two weeks, but this threat has been looming for the last 15 years.
Suddenly, Johnson broke out in song, singing “War” by Edwin Starr. He sang the lyric “War, what is it good for?” and finished it by singing, “distracting from the Epstein files!” Because of Trump’s appearance in the files, this was a jab at him by SNL for seemingly doing anything he could to distract the public from his complicity in the crimes mentioned.
Johnson then brought up how Trump had promised “no new wars” in his campaign trial, yet he is highly involved in one now. However, SNL took a funny twist on this by saying that Trump is allowed to have one new foreign war since he promised no wars, plural.
Additionally, he addressed upset MAGA voters who complained that this is not what they voted for, and he retorted: “Don’t you know who I am? I’m me.” He then started dancing robotically and claimed that even he didn’t know what he was doing.
After a couple more comments about Trump’s decision regarding Iran and how the SNL writers scrambled to organize this cold open, Colin Jost appeared as Pete Hegseth, U.S. secretary of war.
Jost entered as the rock version of “The Star Spangled Banner” played overhead, holding a beverage resembling alcohol in his hand. He then heftily announced that his drink was non-alcoholic, referencing the alcohol abuse allegations Hegseth has against him.
The actor then declared that Operation Epic Fury was underway, joking how it was perfect for knuckle tattoos due to Epic Fury consisting of eight letters in total. He held out his fists, reading “Fury Epic” — clearly in the wrong order. He then commented about how this tattoo was the least problematic one that he had, regarding his other tattoos that have sparked controversy.
After his tattoo reveal, the actor exclaimed that when Trump called him in the morning, Hegseth was perfectly sober and already training for the mission by playing “Prince of Persia: Sands of Time” on his GameCube.
Jost then ended his segment by saying, “Don’t let my confident demeanor fool you. I am scared, and I don’t know what I am doing!” He, once again, justified the attacks on Iran because they took out a “horrendous, horrible leader who oppressed his own people.”
The video ended after Johnson, impersonating Trump, quickly came into view from the side and said, “But don’t get any ideas!”
Sometimes humans use humor as a coping mechanism — SNL’s parodic videos certainly fall under that category. Although this skit poked fun at both U.S. leaders, there is a real fear behind the potential of a new world war beginning. There is no telling whether this conflict could be solved in days or if it could be blown out of proportion.
While the U.S.’s attacks on Iran have shocked the nation, it is significant to remember that the two countries have had tensions for more than 40 years — this is nothing new. It is important to not let fear-mongering and misinformation overtake one in times of uncertainty, and rather to keep oneself informed and updated on the situation and various perspectives through credible sources.
