Giant panda takes stage alongside Biden in SNL cold open

“Saturday Night Live” featured a talking giant panda participating in a press conference alongside a mock President Biden giving remarks after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in its cold open.

“Meeting was a total win. Sure, we made agreements about communications, fentanyl, climate change, but most importantly, got the thing America really needs right now. More pandas!” the impersonated Biden told a group of fake reporters. 

Biden, played by Mikey Day, opened the scene by addressing a group of reporters about the meeting with Xi. The scene poked fun at the pandas leaving the National Zoo earlier this month, Biden’s age and Biden calling Xi a dictator after meeting with him. 

“China relations broke off this past year partly because you called President Xi a dictator,” a reporter, played by Heidi Gardner, said, to which the fake Biden responded, “That’s right.”

“But your summit last week saw remarkable strides in mending that relationship. Would you like to completely undo your accomplishment by calling him a dictator again?” she asked at the mock press conference. 

“I would,” he responded, referring to comments Biden made last week calling Xi a dictator again. 

Instead of asking the fake president something, one of the reporters used her question to just say, “You’re old” to Biden. When Biden appears to be fed up with these questions, he introduces a “very important Chinese dignitary,” which turns out to be Bowen Yang dressed in a panda costume.

“Thank you, but no need to say giant. I think I’m really more slim thick. Truly, I’m honored to be here. But am I the only one who was surprised that the presidents of the two biggest economies in the world met and everyone’s just like, ‘What’s up with the pandas?’” Yang, playing the panda, said.

The impersonated reporters poked fun at the panda issue, glossing over more serious topics in favor of asking the panda how he liked America, whether it was a good time to return to China and how the panda felt about being called “envoys of friendship.”

“Honestly, I think the timing is right. I just have to leave the country. Now. You know if Trump gets elected in 2024, that would be a disaster. He said he’ll round up immigrants and put them in camps, democracy will end and there might be a civil war,” the panda said when asked about leaving the U.S.

When pressed further, the panda was hesitant to say whether he would vote for Biden. The cold open concluded with Day, playing Biden, saying him and the panda were similar. 

“We’re dads, we’re cute. People love sharing videos of us falling down,” Day said.