'Donald Trump' likens himself to Jesus at Last Supper in SNL skit parodying his indictment

On the eve of Easter, Saturday Night Live opened with a Last Supper scene as Donald Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, likened himself to Jesus. 

It comes just days after the former president was arraigned, making made him the first president in U.S. history to ever be charged with a crime after leaving office. 

It was a historical moment that was highlighted in SNL's cold open on Saturday as the cast was portraying the Last Supper with Jesus telling his disciples:

'One of you will betray me. And though I have committed no crime, I will be arrested, tried and found guilty.' 

Johnson as Trump suddenly appeared on stage and asked: 'Sound familiar?'

'Thank you so much. A famous, wonderful man arrested for no reason at all. If you haven't put it together, folks, I'm comparing myself to Jesus again,' he continued.

Saturday Night Live opened with The Last Supper and an appearance by Donald Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, who likened himself to Jesus, just days after he was arraigned 

It was a historical moment that was highlighted in SNL's cold open on Saturday as the cast was portraying the Last Supper with Jesus telling his disciples: 'One of you will betray me'

Judas, portrayed in the sketch on the left, reacts to the statement with 'what?' 

Johnson as Trump continued with his monologue: 'And what better time than on his birthday, Easter? As we speak, I am being persecuted on a level the likes of which the world has never seen, even worse than the late, great Jesus. You know, many people are saying we're very similar. 

'We're both very tall, very popular, and both frankly white Americans. You know, Jesus did some incredible things. Some would call them miracles. In terms of fish and with regard to bread. Fish and bread.' 

Johnson, 33, wore prosthetics to make his skin look closer to that of the 76 year-old president during his speech.

Warming to his theme, he continued: 'He rose from the dead on the third day. I would have done it faster, possibly two days. I think we could have done it a lot faster.

'He had a good mind for business. Water into wine. Pure profit. And he had big, big rallies just like me, and a lot of his followers got in big, big trouble, just like mine. All because I told them exactly what Jesus would have said, get very violent and start a war.'

The character drew parallels between himself and Jesus as he compared his rocky relationship with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.

'Ron DeSantis came to me, tears in his eyes, he said, 'Help me, Mr. Trump, I'm going to lose my election,' Johnson said. 'So, I very generously pretended to like him, and then he did a Judas, and now he can't even get the gays out of Disney World.'

The character drew parallels between himself and Jesus as he compared his rocky relationship with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas

While Trump has been officially in the presidential race since November, his highest profile competitor - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis - has yet to officially announce a White House bid

He then took it a step further and announced that he was better than Jesus, who he called a nepo baby - a person granted advantages thanks to a successful parent. 

'Mr. Jesus, quite a guy, but now people are saying perhaps I'm even better than Jesus because I'm a self-made billionaire and Christ was, let's call it what it is, a nepo baby,' Johnson as Trump said. 'I mean, his dad was God: It's pretty easy to start a religion when your dad is God. He did Good Friday. I said, why not make it great? We can make it great.'

Johnson as Trump finished out the sketch saying that 'they will come for me, lock me away,' referring to his indictment. 

'Because just like Jesus, all I did was be friendly to a sex worker, and now they want to put me in jail. Just awful. But who knows, folks, maybe prison will make me even more popular.

And that's the story of Easter, the Trump character proclaimed, adding 'Happy birthday, Jesus.'

Johnson as Trump finished out the sketch saying that 'they will come for me, lock me away,' referring to his indictment and arrest last week

Trump was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (pictured) on 34 felony counts, most of which revolve around hush money that was paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016

He pleaded not guilty and immediately jetted back to Florida to deliver an impassioned speech, affirming his position of innocence and alleging that the witch hunt continues

Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels in a 2006 photo from her MySpace page

On Tuesday, Trump was indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on 34 felony counts, most of which revolve around hush money that was paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

He pleaded not guilty in New York and immediately jetted back to Florida to deliver an impassioned speech, affirming his position of innocence and alleging that the witch hunt continues.

This weekend, Trump was back in Miami enjoying rounds of golf while watching his polls numbers soar, putting space between him and Ron DeSantis.

While Trump has been officially in the presidential race since November, his highest profile competitor - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis - has yet to officially announce a White House bid.

DeSantis won another term in the Florida governor's mansion in November by a  margin of nearly 20 points in a state that has in the past been a toss up between Democrats and Republicans.

However, some of that momentum seems to be stalling out as Trump surges in the polls at the governor's expense. 

Senior GOP officials are said to be worried about whether DeSantis has the charisma to perform on the campaign trail outside his home state.

While touted as an effective lawmaker, some of his critics say he struggles with the necessity of getting up-close-and-personal with prospective voters, a practice nicknamed 'grip-and-grin' politics. 

A Yahoo survey from days after Trump's indictment showed Trump with a secure nearly 30-point lead over DeSantis, illustrating a gain for Trump of about 20 points in the polls since January.

Trump sits in court in Manhattan Tuesday surrounded by his defense team. On Wednesday he sent out a statement commending the professionalism of the cops and court workers he encountered the day before 

A post-indictment poll showed Trump surging ahead of DeSantis

Regardless of Trump's significant lead over DeSantis, according to the Yahoo survey, the same poll shows that voters are largely not in favor of Trump assuming a second term if his indictment leads to a conviction.

When asked: 'If Donald Trump is convicted of a crime in this case, do you think he should be allowed to serve as president again in the future?' 52 percent said he should not.

Thirty-one percent of respondents said he should still serve another term. That divide among Republicans was 56 percent believed he should be president again, 24 percent believed he should not, and 20 percent were unsure.