US Vice President Kamala Harris. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris surprised viewers by appearing on the Saturday Night Live comedy show on Saturday, adding an unexpected twist to the US election three days before she meets Republican Donald Trump, Reuters reports.
Harris appeared in a mirror opposite actress Maya Rudolph, who played her on the show. The two were dressed in black suits and pearls, and discussed different variations of the name Harris, saying that Americans want to “end the drama-la” in politics “with a new calm stepfather-la”.
“Stay calm-la and carry on-la,” they exclaimed in unison.
“I don’t really laugh like that, do I?” asked Harris after Rudolph imitated her distinctive laugh.
“A little,” Rudolf replied.
It was Harris’s first appearance on the show, which has hosted other presidential candidates in its long history. “It’s been fun,” she told reporters on the runway before flying to Detroit, an important swing state.
On Saturday, Harris and Trump’s planes were on the same runway in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the candidates held parallel events in this southern state, which is one of the few that could determine the outcome of Tuesday’s election. It was the fourth day that the candidates campaigned in the same state.
Only seven states are considered truly competitive, but a poll released on Saturday showed Harris taking an unexpected lead in Iowa, a state that Trump won easily in the last election.
Both candidates followed familiar themes in their speeches. Trump said he would expel millions of immigrants if he wins and warned that if Harris wins, “every city in America will turn into a dirty, dangerous refugee camp”.
