Saturday Night Live recently explored, much like some economists, the possibility that President Donald Trump‘s groundbreaking global tariffs could lead the nation into economic turmoil.
The show’s opening sketch reimagined Trump’s Rose Garden address from Wednesday, in which he revealed tariffs ranging from 10% to 54% on all imported goods. U.S. importers will pay these tariffs, with economists cautioning that this could drive up consumer prices.
Trump has maintained that the tariffs aim to bring back manufacturing jobs that are now largely handled by countries with lower labor costs.
In the sketch, James Austin Johnson portrayed Trump, acknowledging that the formula for calculating tariff rates on various countries is intricate but asserting it would ultimately result in prosperity.
“I know what the numbers mean, OK,” the character said. “They mean we’re going to Make America Wealthy Again — MAWA!”
However, Trump admitted that the nation would likely experience a difficult period before prosperity arrives, unveiling a new slogan: Make America Great Depression Again.
“It will be a fantastic, unbelievable depression,” the character quipped. “We’ll be the ones eating the cats and the dogs. That’s going to fun.”
Explaining the economic rationale behind his plan, the sketch’s Trump said: “It’s simple economics, OK: If the stock market goes down and down and down and down and down, that means there’s nowhere to go but up — or perhaps further down.”
Faith played a central role in the plan as well. Johnson’s Trump reassured the public: “At some point, your money’s gone, and that’s OK. We’re going to figure it out.”
Mike Myers appeared as Trump advisor Elon Musk, who interrupted the speech to seek sympathy for his struggles as the CEO of Tesla. The carmaker had faced protests and vandalism, likely fueled by Musk’s involvement in laying off thousands of federal workers at Trump’s request.
“Suddenly, no one likes Tesla cars,” Myers’ Musk lamented. “I asked myself why. And I answered myself: because of me.”
Musk took the opportunity to promote the new Tesla Model V — “The first electric car in history to be fully self-vandalizing,” featuring “AI-powered graffiti.”
Despite the marvel of such a car, Musk expressed doubt that the tariffs would lead to positive outcomes.
“I’m really smart,” he confidently stated, “and these tariffs sound really dumb.”
You can watch the full clip above. Jack Black hosted the episode on NBC, with Elton John and Brandi Carlile performing as musical guests.
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