In the run-up for the coveted US presidency, contenders Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are ramping up their campaigns in the swing state of North Carolina. However, the real twist came when current VP Harris opened for the famed comedy show on TV, Saturday Night Live (SNL), which was broadcast later on November 3.
SNL, known for its regular cast impersonating public figures, featured comedian Maya Rudolph as Kamala Harris, along with Harris playing herself.
The back-and-forth between the two versions spurred some audience into laughter, with both exclaiming, “Keep Calm-ala and carry on-ala”, a take on the modern pop-culture phrase. Rudolph went on to imitate Harris’ signature laughter, and the show continued its regular programming.
In contrast, Donald Trump appeared a year ahead of his first successful presidential bid in 2016, not as an opener but in the show studio itself, performing the show’s famous SNL monologue.
The show even included the “meta” self-deprecating humour, where he poked fun at his own exaggerations. It is another fact that the show went on to parody Trump in the years after, including veteran actors such as Alec Baldwin portraying the former president.
North Carolina is among the eight swing states, and it holds 16 electoral votes. Recently, the state came under nature’s fury with Hurricane Helene. It has been historically Republican, with Trump winning the past two elections. Since 1976, only Barack Obama won it for the Democrats in 2008 but lost it in his reelection run. Democrats are hoping that a rise in the number of youngsters, especially students, would tip the state in their favour.
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