Texas senator-elect James Talarico appears in Saturday Night Live cold open with President Trump
James Talarico, newly elected Texas senator, made a cameo in Saturday Night Live’s opening sketch, delivering a brief appeal to President Trump for bipartisan cooperation.
Saturday Night Live’s cold-open featured a sketch that included Texas senator-elect James Talarico alongside a parody of President Donald Trump. The segment opened with actors portraying House and Senate minority leaders celebrating Democratic gains, after which a Trump impersonator interrupted to claim credit for the results. The sketch then introduced Talarico, who addressed the audience and said, "If we can work together, we can make life better for everyday Americans," before concluding with the show’s signature line, "Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night Live."
The appearance marks Talarico’s first late-night television cameo since launching his Senate campaign. Earlier attempts to secure interviews on other talk shows were halted by network executives citing concerns over the Federal Communications Commission’s equal-time rule, a stance reinforced by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr after a previous political cameo on the program.
Trump has previously criticized both late-night hosts and Saturday Night Live. Talarico’s remarks in the sketch were notably conciliatory, though it remains unclear whether any further collaboration will follow.