Saturday Night Live has suggested President Donald Trump launched strikes on Iran to distract from fallout over newly released Jeffrey Epstein files in their latest skit.
The NBC comedy show returned on February 28 after a one-month hiatus for the Winter Olympics, quickly pivoting to the breaking news that the US and Israel had launched overnight strikes on Iran.
The sketch opened with a mock public service announcement reading: ‘Last evening at the very normal time of two in the morning, President Trump informed the nation that we were at war with Iran.’
It then introduced Trump, played by cast member James Austin Johnson, who made an announcement while wearing a white cap emblazoned with ‘USA.’
‘Good evening, and happy World War III to all who celebrate,’ the actor said. ‘It’s me, Donald Trump, FIFA Peace Prize winner and Nobel Peace Prize taker.’
He continued: ‘I launched this attack after me and my Board of Peace decided that we were bored of peace… As we all know, Iran has been two weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon for, like, the last 15 years or something.
‘So we had to act now. And we’re doing war.’
The Trump character then broke into a parody performance of Edwin Starr’s song War, singing: ‘War, what is it good for? Distracting from the Epstein files.’
Actor James Austin Johnson portrayed Donald Trump during Saturday Night Live’s February 28 cold open, which mocked the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran and referenced the Epstein files
The sketch took a sharper turn when the Trump character broke into a parody performance of Edwin Starr’s song War, singing: ‘War, what is it good for? Distracting from the Epstein files’
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie made a similar observation on X, writing: ‘PSA: Bombing a country on the other side of the globe won’t make the Epstein files go away, any more than the Dow going above 50,000 will.’
Trump is facing renewed scrutiny over the newly released government records tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that include several mentions of his name.
The US president has denied any wrongdoing and has long insisted he was not close to Epstein.
Trump has said the financier was banned from his Mar-a-Lago club in 2007 for being a ‘creep’ and that they did not associate afterward.
Documents released by the Justice Department include images and records linking Epstein to prominent public figures, including Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
Trump’s name also appears in Epstein’s contact book, though officials have stressed that inclusion in the files does not indicate criminal wrongdoing.
The Department of Justice has announced it is reviewing whether it wrongfully withheld documents in the Epstein files containing allegations against Trump.
The SNL sketch also mocked Trump’s past pledge to avoid new foreign wars.
Although he promised no new conflicts during his presidency, the Trump character joked: ‘We do one foreign war and possibly one civil.’
Later in the segment, Trump joked about the timing of the strikes
Justice Department Epstein files dropped on December 19, 2025 revealed an image of Jeffrey Epstein with a redacted woman holding a giant check from Donald Trump for $22,500
President Donald Trump announced US military action against Iran early Saturday as tensions escalated across the Middle East
Protesters gesture at a toy rat made to resemble Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during celebrations following joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran in Copley Square, Boston, on February 28, 2026
‘One, it’s after the stock market closes for the weekend. And two, it’s to cause immeasurable fear, rage, and chaos in the SNL writers’ room.
‘Those guys were going crazy. They probably had a big State of the Union address thing they were gonna do. Not anymore!’
Weekend Update host Colin Jost also appeared in the sketch reprising his role as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, delivering a mock update about the operation.
‘We took out a horrendous, horrible leader who was oppressing his own people,’ he said, referring to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who Israeli officials have claimed was killed in the strikes.
Johnson’s Trump then reappeared and added: ‘But don’t get any ideas!’
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.