'SNL' Takes a Jab at Melania Trump's 'Strange' Absence from Campaigns in Hilarious Video

Saturday Night Live's latest episode took a hilarious jab at Melania Trump over her absence from her husband's 2024 presidential campaign. The Family Feud sketch featured cast members playing various political figures. Kenan Thompson portrayed Steve Harvey, the game show's host. On one side was 'Team Harris,' which had Maya Rudolph playing Vice President Kamala Harris alongside an excited Doug Emhoff (Andy Samberg), a goofy Governor Tim Walz (Jim Gaffigan), and a confused President Joe Biden (Dana Carvey).

'Team Trump,' however, seemed incomplete. James Austin Johnson played Donald Trump. But as Melania was introduced in the sketch, she was nowhere to be found. Johnson, as Trump, quipped, "So strange, Melania was standing right next to me three years ago." In response, the audience erupted in laughter.

For those who may not be aware, Melania, who was noticeably missing during Donald Sr.'s hush money trial, attended the Republican National Convention in July but broke tradition by not speaking. Besides, her rare public appearances have been mostly to promote her new memoir, Melania, which launched on October 8.

The SNL cold open also featured other political jabs. When asked what might be found in a car's glovebox, Harris (Rudolph) suggested a 'Glock'—in a reference to the vice president's recent admission to owning a firearm, as per The Independent. Her answer impressed her husband (Samberg), who enthusiastically offered a 'second gun' as his guess. Governor Walz (Gaffigan) provided comic relief with his 'white nonsense' answers. He suggested items like napkins from Runza or Tums for when he eats something 'spicy' like a 'tomato.' 

The sketch also touched on the Trump team's dynamics. JD Vance (played by Bowen Yang) and Donald Trump Jr. (Mikey Day) were present but 'told not to speak.' When it was Donald Sr.'s (Johnson) turn to answer, he avoided the question and instead complained about immigration.

SNL may have exaggerated or satirized politics for comedic effect, but many critics think Melania's limited campaign involvement is a real issue. CNN pointed out that one of the few times she did step out was for a fundraiser for the Log Cabin Republicans in April, she got paid a hefty sum of $237,500, just to speak. This got many people talking about campaign finance.

Virginia Canter, who was the chief ethics counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, talked about how strange the payment was. "It seems pretty self-serving. From my general observation, I'm not used to seeing that." Sources close to Melania, however, defended her choices. An insider told CNN, 'She's a priceless, timeless asset' for Donald Sr. The former president also addressed her absence in a September 2023 interview, arguing, "She's a private person, a great person, a very confident person, and she loves our country very much. She'll be — at the appropriate time — she'll be out there."