‘SNL’ skewers Karoline Leavitt Over Contentious Epstein Defense
New York, NY – Saturday Night Live delivered a biting satire of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt this weekend, lampooning her recent, and widely criticized, defense of Donald Trump amid renewed scrutiny over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.The sketch, wich went viral online, highlighted Leavitt’s attempts to deflect questions about Epstein and pivot to other topics, ultimately culminating in a cameo by a Trump impersonator.
The sketch parodied Leavitt’s press briefing following the release of a cache of Ghislaine Maxwell emails, reported by The Daily Beast, which revealed Maxwell was preparing an application for her sentence to be commuted. During the actual briefing, Leavitt stated, “Ghislaine Maxwell saeid in a sworn deposition she gave to Trump’s friend that Trump always acted like a gentleman,” and added, “And a little thing about me? I believe women.”
The SNL version, played by Chloe Troast, mirrored this exchange, becoming increasingly flustered as reporters pressed for answers. As The Daily Beast reported, Leavitt eventually attempted to steer the conversation away from Epstein, prompting a question about Trump sending money to Argentina.
The sketch reached peak absurdity when James Austin Johnson, portraying Trump, interrupted the briefing, taking over the questioning and offering rambling defenses of his relationship with Epstein. “Jeffrey Epstein, I barely knew the guy, as evidenced by the thousands of pictures of us together, dancing and grinding our teeth at various parties,” the SNL Trump quipped. He then announced his intention to “release all of the Epstein files…Each file will be on sale for the low, low price of $800.”
The parody reflects a broader pattern of Trump and his allies attempting to downplay or deflect scrutiny regarding his past association with Epstein, a convicted sex offender. The sketch’s virality underscores the continued public interest in the matter and the potential for satire to amplify criticism of political figures.
