With 2024 underway and the presidential race in full swing, it was time for “Saturday Night Live” to get back to doing what it loves best: lampooning former President Donald J. Trump.

In its first new broadcast of the year, hosted by Jacob Elordi and featuring the musical guest Reneé Rapp, “S.N.L.” kicked off with a sketch featuring its resident Trump impressionist, James Austin Johnson. It parodied Trump’s impromptu remarks outside a courtroom in Lower Manhattan where he is again on trial facing accusations that he defamed the writer E. Jean Carroll, after an earlier jury verdict in May that Trump defamed and sexually abused her.

After a brief introduction by Chloe Fineman, who played Alina Habba, Trump’s lawyer (“I am new at this, and I am learning,” she said), Johnson entered as Trump and quickly dressed down his own legal representation.

“You’re great on TV,” Johnson told Fineman, adding: “Maybe the worst lawyer I’ve ever had, which is quite an accomplishment. Look at this team — this is the bottom of the barrel, folks, this is who said yes. I’m in the lead for president, and this is the best I can get. Feels like a red flag, no?”

Johnson addressed his remaining lawyers and said, “You’re not getting paid, by the way.”

He promised to abide by a gag order that prevented him from discussing the current defamation trial. “So I will not be saying that the judge is an idiot,” Johnson said, “or where he lives or what kind of crappy car he drives. I didn’t know they still made Wagoneers.”