SNL's comedic take on Trump’s tariffs leaves viewers in stitches

Saturday Night Live left viewers in stitches with James Austin Johnson's portrayal of Donald Trump and his new tariffs.

The 5 April episode began with a comedic take on Trump's Rose Garden speech, where the president announced tariffs ranging from 10 per cent to 54 per cent on all imported goods.

Johnson, as Trump, joked that the tariffs would "Make America Great Depression again."

"Thank you all for coming out to hear about tariffs. My favourite word, tariff, which, of course, is short for a-terrific-idea," Johnson said, adding that they are the "backbone of my incredible plan for our economy."

Johnson went on to humour that it is "actually better than a plan, because it's a series of random numbers, like the numbers on the computer screen in Severance."

He added: "You have no idea what the hell they mean, but I know what the numbers mean … They mean we're gonna make America wealthy again. You know you're gonna check your stock portfolio in a couple days and think ‘I'm almost too wealthy.'"

Johnson went on to joke that the country is going to do "MAWA" (Make America Wealthy Again) – but before that, the focus is on "MAGDA".

"We're going to do MAGDA — Make America Great Depression Again … It'll be better than great. It'll be a fantastic, unbelievable depression, the likes of which have never been seen before," he added.

It didn't take long for the reactions to come in thick and fast on social media, with one writing: "SNL nails it - MAGDA, Make America Great Depression Again and other gems."

Another wrote: "Thanks, SNL!! Now the tariffs make a lot more sense."

Meanwhile, a third quipped: "I really appreciate how much SNL despises Donald Trump."

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