Saturday Night Live returned from its winter break with a cold open mocking President Donald Trump over recent military strikes on Iran, suggesting the action was meant to distract from renewed attention on the Jeffrey Epstein files. The sketch framed the announcement as a late night declaration of war and featured a parody of Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, jokingly celebrating the start of a new conflict.

During the segment, the Trump character quipped that the attack would serve as a diversion from the Epstein documents, even breaking into a parody song to emphasize the point. The show also mocked his previous promises to avoid new foreign wars and joked about the timing of the strikes.

The satire comes as Trump faces renewed scrutiny following the release of government records related to Epstein. The Department of Justice has said it is reviewing whether documents containing allegations involving Trump were improperly withheld. Trump has denied wrongdoing and has said he was not close to Epstein, despite his name appearing in contact records and other materials.