SNL returns for Season 52 with Mamdani, Trump and an obsessive aide

Ramy Youssef opened Saturday Night Live's 52nd season as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, facing off with James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump.

The cold open — the opening sketch before the titles — put the mayor and the president in the same room. Their back-and-forth ran through a crowded New York week: an East Coast storm, a Knicks championship, a United Nations meeting in the city and Trump's hosting of Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Variety.

Ashley Padilla joined them as Natalie Harp, Trump's appointments secretary. Her turn leaned into Nikki, Padilla's clingy "Obsession" character, playing Harp as fixated on the president while he talked politics with Mamdani.

The mayor met the president. The aide stole the scene.

The premiere was hosted by basketball star Jalen Brunson, with girl group Katseye as musical guest. It also introduced two new cast members, Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter, who made their debuts in the episode.

For Youssef, it was a return engagement. He first played Mamdani last November during the mayoral race, in a debate sketch hosted by Miles Teller. Teller played Andrew Cuomo in that cold open, with Shane Gillis as Curtis Sliwa, according to NBC Insider.

Ten months on, the joke has changed. Mamdani is no longer a candidate in the sketch. He is City Hall.