US Election 2024: Kamala Harris to appear on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in final days of campaign

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris made an unexpected trip to New York on Saturday to appear on “Saturday Night Live,” just three days ahead of her election showdown with Republican Donald Trump.

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While Harris' campaign did not provide official comment, reporters accompanying her were taken to NBC's headquarters, the network that broadcasts the popular comedy show. Two sources confirmed her participation. The episode is set to air at 11:30 p.m. ET (03:30 GMT), providing a high-profile platform for Harris to connect with voters in the final stretch of the campaign, Reuters reported.

A “Saturday Night Live” appearance would add a surprise jolt ahead of the presidential election on Tuesday.

The long-running "Saturday Night Live" has previously hosted both Democratic candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate John McCain in 2008, as well as featuring Donald Trump in 2004, long before his political career began.

Earlier on Saturday, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump's planes were seen on the tarmac together in Charlotte, North Carolina. This close encounter highlighted the candidates' focus on a select few states where the outcome of Tuesday's U.S. presidential election will be determined.

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It marked the fourth consecutive day that both candidates campaigned in North Carolina. Only seven states, including North Carolina, are considered truly competitive. Interestingly, a recent Des Moines Register poll released on Saturday indicated that Harris has taken a surprising lead in Iowa, a state that Trump won convincingly in the last two elections. This shift in voter sentiment could prove pivotal as the election approaches.

Harris campaigned in Charlotte, North Carolina, with rock star Bon Jovi, while Trump held a rally in suburban Gastonia. It was not clear whether he was on his plane when Harris arrived.

Trump and Harris stuck to familiar themes at their appearances.

Trump said he would deport millions of immigrants if elected and warned that if Harris wins, "Every town in America would be turned into a squalid, dangerous refugee camp."

Campaigning in Atlanta, Harris said Trump would abuse his power if he returns to the White House.

“This is someone who is increasingly unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and the man is out for unchecked power," she said.

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More than 72 million Americans have already cast ballots, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida, short of 2020's record early-voting pace during COVID-19, but still indicating a high level of voter enthusiasm, Reuters reported.

In North Carolina, the western counties that were devastated by Hurricane Helene appeared to be voting at roughly the same rate as the rest of the state, according to Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer.

Trump criticised the federal government's response to the disaster and repeated his false claim that aid had been diverted from the state to help immigrants entering the country.

(With inputs from Reuters)