Sometimes a "Saturday Night Live" cold open is a genuine surprise, a distillation of recent history that comes completely out of left field. And sometimes the events of a past week are outrageous enough that they demand an obvious approach. (In other words, if you were awaiting a sketch about Nikki Haley's resignation as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, prepare to be disappointed.) In his first SNL appearance of the season, Alec Baldwin returned to his recurring role as President Trump to help recreate the strange Oval Office meeting that transpired on Thursday between the president and the rapper Kanye West. Baldwin opened the meeting by announcing, "Thank you all for joining us today for this important discussion. It's in no way a publicity stunt. This is a serious private conversation between three friends, plus 50 reporters with cameras." After contemplating the idea of taking guns away from all Americans — "even whites" — Baldwin went on to address the latest personnel losses in the Trump administration. Paying homage to Hope Hicks, the outgoing White House communications director, Baldwin said, "She's like a daughter to me. So smart, so hot. You know, I hate seeing her go but I love watching her walk away." In her absence, Baldwin said, "Jared Kushner's basically the hottest chick left in the place." And when he sought assurance from Lt. Gen. H.R. When McMaster, the national security adviser, said that he was still on board, the camera cut to an empty chair with McMaster’s name in front of it. Turning to the subject of tariffs, Baldwin said: “Both sides hated it. I don’t care. I said I was going to run this country like a business. That business is a Waffle House at 2 a.m.: crazies everywhere, staff walking out in the middle of their shift, managers taking money out of the cash register to pay off the Russian mob.”

In other highlights from the episode:

Surprisingly Topical Monologue of the Week

Though he occasionally stumbled in his delivery, Barkley, the Inside the NBA analyst, scored with a pointed comedic commentary on the role of athletes in American civic life. He began: “I’m an athlete, and athletes have been speaking out a lot this year. They’ve been kneeling during the anthem, refusing to go to the White House, and a lot of professional athletes are worried that speaking out might hurt their careers. Well, here’s something that contradicts all of that: me. I’ve been saying whatever the hell I want for 30 years, and I’m doing great. I’m hosting SNL for the fourth time for no reason. Lorne Michaels just wanted somebody to talk to about Black Panther. But this country’s had a great tradition of athletes speaking their minds. Muhammad Ali changed the way people thought about Vietnam. Jim Brown had people thinking about race. Michael Jordan even thought it was OK for humans to play with Looney Tunes.” Alluding to the Fox News host Laura Ingraham’s recent criticism of LeBron James, Barkley added: "Well, some folks think we’re all spoiled millionaires, but athletes work hard. Some people don’t want to hear from professional athletes, like this lady on Fox News who told LeBron James to 'shut up and dribble.' Dribbling is, like, LeBron’s fourth-best skill: shooting, passing, and magically making his hairline come back. But the media does this stuff all the time. I went to President Obama’s 50th birthday party. They got video of me, Jay‑Z, Steve Harvey and Grant Hill at the party, and Fox News called it a 'hip-hop barbecue.' First of all, we were the only four black people there, and three of us aren’t even in hip-hop. So calling it a hip-hop barbecue is like calling any tournament Tiger Woods plays in 'Def Golf Jam.'"

At the conclusion of his monologue, Barkley traded riffs with the "Weekend Update" co-anchor Michael Che. "I’m proud to stand for the anthem," Barkley said. "Unless Fergie is singing it, and I just fall over laughing."

Che responded: "I stay seated for the anthem because I’m still in my Uber—because black people are always late."