Saturday Night Live humorously tackled Donald Trump’s renovation of the White House in a sketch styled after HGTV, featuring actor Miles Teller portraying both Jonathan and Drew Scott, the famous twin hosts from Property Brothers.
The skit satirized Trump’s controversial decision to demolish the East Wing, intending to replace it with a $300 million, 90,000 square-foot ballroom financed entirely by private donations.
In the segment, the fictional hosts arrive at the White House to supervise the extravagant makeover.
“This week, we’re taking on our biggest challenge yet – building the new White House ballroom,” Teller, playing the HGTV host, announces enthusiastically.
“Donald and Melania moved into this house nine years ago. They were evicted for four years, but they moved back in. Donald has a strong eye for interior design,” he adds with a comedic twist.
As the sketch unfolds, Teller’s “brothers” explore the imagined White House, while James Austin Johnson’s portrayal of Trump exudes pride over the redesign.
‘I put these gold urns everywhere,’ he boasted. ‘Like a hundred in every room. That makes me happy. It’s very important to be happy these days. Really dark stuff happening in the world. Some of it is me.’
Johnson’s Trump then held up a crown he received from his this week’s trip to South Korea.
Saturday Night Live turned the White House into a construction zone this weekend as host Miles Teller, left, worked with James Austin Johnson’s President Donald Trump, right
Miles Teller played both Jonathan and Drew Scott, the twin hosts of HGTV’s Property Brothers
The four minute skit poked fun at the massive new ballroom being erected at the White House
‘And here’s a crown I just got from my trip to Asia. Nothing says democracy like a crown, right?’
Standing beside him, Chloe Fineman’s Melania Trump offers her signature dry wit when Teller compliments her ‘Halloween decorations.’
‘Those are for Christmas,’ she deadpans – prompting one of the biggest laughs of the night.
The skit, filmed like an HGTV makeover show, ridicules the real-life demolition of the East Wing – the traditional home base of first ladies and social offices.
In the SNL universe, Melania insists the new ballroom is necessary.
‘The house is only 55,000 square feet,’ she explains. ‘We need more room. Donald, he loves to dance.’
SNL’s Trump agreed. ‘I’m a terrific dancer. Terrific dancer. Just ask your eyes,’ he said.
Teller’s Property Brothers then ask the fictional president about his budget.
Chloe Fineman appeared as Melania Trump in the sketch on Saturday night
Fineman’s First Lady gave Property Brothers’ Teller a tour while remaking how the Halloween decorations were in fact for Christmas
‘Between $350 million and infinity,’ Trump replies.
The parody only escalates as Trump reveals his unconventional plans for the new addition.
‘We’re also going to have an MMA ring,’ he says. ‘Official fights, but also casual ones – you know, two mentally ill guys just whaling on each other. Do bum fights again. Remember bum fights? We love bum fights!’
‘It will be ready just in time for my third term. We want this to be our forever home. Because we’re not leaving. We’re going to be doing something called ‘coup’,’ Trump declared.
As the sketch ends, Teller’s Property Brothers ask who will be paying for the massive renovation.
‘Aren’t you guys from Canada?’ Trump asks suspiciously before shouting, ‘ICE!’ and summoning armed guards to usher the brothers away.
Agents rush in, sirens blaring, as the HGTV hosts scatter. ‘There goes ICE,’ Trump mutters approvingly.
‘We like them. Spooky, very spooky. It’s a very spooky secret police thing.’
Construction workers, bottom right, atop the US Treasury, watch watch as demolition continues on the East Wing of the White House to make room for a new ballroom,
Debris cleanup from the East Wing of the White House and construction of the new ballroom continues, as photographed through a plane window, on Friday in Washington
The SNL skit aired just days after Associated Press photos showed the real East Wing reduced to rubble, part of a controversial plan to replace the historic structure with a massive 90,000-square-foot ballroom.
Trump defended the project this week, claiming the expansion is being financed privately.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said design changes and cost overruns – from $200 million to roughly $300 million – were due to ‘necessary structural modernization.’
The National Trust for Historic Preservation warned the ballroom could ‘overwhelm the Executive Mansion’ and ‘permanently disrupt the carefully balanced classical design of the White House.’
