Trump campaign criticizes SNL over assassination skit

Donald Trump's campaign has publicly condemned Saturday Night Live for a skit that aired during its Weekend Update segment, which referenced assassination attempts on the former president. 

In the skit, James Austin Johnson portrayed Trump and made a direct mention of the July 13 Pennsylvania rally, where the first attempt occurred.

The Trump campaign took to social media to express their outrage, stating, "There were two assassination attempts against President Trump within a span of 7 weeks. @nbcsnl apparently finds that funny. Disgusting." Supporters of the former president quickly voiced their discontent with the show's portrayal, calling it inappropriate and offensive.

In the skit, Johnson, in character as Trump, remarked, “They say that blaming the Democrats for inciting violence is the pot calling the kettle black.” Meanwhile, SNL host Colin Jost added further criticism by poking fun at Melania Trump for suggesting Democrats were responsible for the assassination attempts, as reported by Fox News.

The skit comes in the wake of two serious assassination attempts on Trump’s life. The first incident occurred at a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump narrowly escaped injury after a bullet grazed his ear. One individual was killed, and two others were injured in that attack. The second attempt took place on September 15 in Florida, where Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested after trying to target Trump with an AK-47 while the former president was golfing.

The controversial SNL segment has ignited further debate as the 2024 presidential election approaches.