‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ ‘Saturday Night Live’ audience laughs and cheers over Trump assassination joke
PALM BEACH, Florida – NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” joked about the possibility of President Donald Trump being assassinated while attending a musical, with the studio audience erupting into loud laughter and applause.
Last Tuesday, the commander in chief attended opening night of “Chicago” with First Lady Melania Trump at the Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The Associated Press reported the couple received “mostly cheers” during their appearance.
BREAKING: Trump and Melania walk into The Kennedy Center and the whole place ERUPTS IN A MASSIVE STANDING OVATION!
EPIC!
Opening night of Chicago and the crowd goes absolutely WILD for 47 and the First Lady! pic.twitter.com/otxYVAgYTL
— Gunther Eagleman (@GuntherEagleman) March 31, 2026
During SNL’s “Weekend Update” segment, anchor Michael Che voiced an apparent reference to America’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who was infamously assassinated in 1865 while attending a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater.
Che stated: “President Trump attended the opening night of ‘Chicago’ at the Kennedy Center, and I think that’s cool that the president is going to the theater. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”
President Trump survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 race for the White House.
The first occurred when gunman Thomas Crooks fired a bullet that struck Trump’s ear while campaigning in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 of that year. Crooks was killed at the scene.
Then on Sept. 15, 2024, as Trump was golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida, Secret Service agents thwarted an assassination attempt by Ryan Routh, who was subsequently chased down and arrested on Interstate 95 in Martin County, Florida.
On Feb. 22 of this year, as WorldNetDaily reported, a potential assassin, Austin Tucker Martin, was killed by law enforcement after intruding onto Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.
In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home. Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our… https://t.co/MYTsHqR4cx
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 22, 2026
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said at the time: “At 1:30 this morning, the security detail detected that an individual had made his way into the inner perimeter of Mar-a-Lago. A deputy and two Secret Service agents on the detail went to that area to investigate.
WATCH:
Palm Beach County sheriff on man killed at Mar-a-Lago: “At 1:30 this morning, the security detail detected that an individual had made his way into the inner perimeter of Mar-a-Lago … they confronted a white man that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun. He was ordered to drop… pic.twitter.com/U4VbA5rhy3
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 22, 2026
“They confronted white male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun. He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position.
“At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat. He is deceased at the scene.”
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