Saturday Night Live roasted Donald Trump's lawyer Alina Habba during the cold open of the first episode of 2024.
Habba, who is representing the former president in a trial that will determine damages for his defamation of columnist E. Jean Carroll, has been criticized for her performance in court this week—including at one point, being scolded by Judge Lewis Kaplan, who responded to one of her inquiries by saying it was "Evidence 101."
Habba was played by Chloe Fineman in Saturday night's opening sketch, which saw James Austin Johnson reprise his role as Trump to face the press outside the Manhattan courthouse.
"The judge has been very unfair from the beginning," Fineman's Habba told the audience before introducing Johnson's Trump. "And I want to make this perfectly clear: I am new at this and I am learning."
Johnson's Trump thanked Fineman's Habba for the introduction.
"Thank you Alina," he said. "You're great on TV. Maybe the worst lawyer I've ever had, which is quite an accomplishment."
Speaking about the rest of his legal team standing behind him, he added: "Look at this team. This is the bottom of the barrel, folks. This is who said yes. I'm in the lead for president and this is the best I can get. Feels like a red flag, no?"
Johnson's Trump also bragged about his win in the Iowa caucuses, and said he wanted to congratulate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on a "truly embarrassing showing."
"He went to 99 counties but b**** couldn't win one," he said. "Ron DeStupid. Ron DeStupid, it just works. We're going with Ron DeStupid."
He went on to brag that he was "more cognitive than ever" and that 2024 is going to be "a very exciting year."
"I'm either going to jail, be president, or frankly, the purge," he said. "Perhaps all three. Let's spin the chamber."
Weekend Update jokes about Trump's hands
Later in the episode, Weekend Update host Colin Jost joked about Trump being spotted with red marks on his hands on Wednesday.
"After Trump was photographed with some strange red marks on his hand, some dermatologists speculated it could be something called hand herpes," Jost said.
"What the hell is hand herpes? said Tim Scott," Jost added, as a photo of Scott shaking hands with Trump appeared on the screen.
The senator and former Republican presidential candidate shook hands with Trump on Friday at a rally in New Hampshire, where he gave his endorsement to Trump.
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