Vice President Kamala Harris added a previously unannounced stop in New York City to her schedule for a surprise cameo on Saturday Night Live.
She is appearing on NBC’s hit late-night show with just three days to go before the election, in a move designed to reach millions of TV viewers, even if it’s at the expense of another swing state event.
Harris is likely to come face-to-face with SNL veteran cast member Maya Rudolph, who was specifically cast to play the vice president after Joe Biden dropped out of the race.
The visit is the latest in a long line of appearances by presidential candidates on the show, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.
Although the nature of her appearance was being kept under close wraps, it could also bring in Dana Carvey continues to skewer President Joe Biden’s speaking style, and James Austin Johnson, who plays Trump.
The surprise visit to New York came during the final laps of the campaign, when travel schedules sometimes reveal where a candidate is making their strongest play.
There were some obvious signs in hindsight that there had been some advance preparations. Harris had just two events Saturday, one in Atlanta and one in Charlotte, at a time when campaigns are blanketing swing states with candidates and surrogates.
Harris kept closely to her schedule as she went from city to city. It wasn’t until she was in mid-air that advisors told the press pool traveling with Harris that she would be going to New York – and even then they would not say why.
Tellingly, seats had been made available aboard Air Force 2, a Boeing 757, for four still photographers. The campaign avoided directly confirming her plans on the record, although it became obvious when the candidate motorcaded from New York’s LaGuardia airport to Rockefeller Center, where NBC has its studios and the show is filmed.
Earlier this week, Harris failed to lock in an interview with popular podcaster Joe Rogan – another platform to reach the masses.
He interviewed Donald Trump just over a week ago to record ratings of over 17 million views on YouTube in less than 24 hours.
SNL gets less than five million views per episode, so her appearance tonight will reach considerably fewer Americans than a Rogan sit-down would have, although perhaps on more favorable terrain.
Rogan confirmed that Harris refused to come on his podcast over scheduling conflicts and a clash about how long the interview would last.
Campaign advisors came back mid-flight to inform the press pool that she would be stopping in New York
Kamala Harris seen waving to photographers as she lands at LaGuardia Airport on Saturday night ahead of her surprise appearance on SNL
The podcast host opened up about why the ‘very difficult’ VP had failed to appear on his popular show that boasts 14 million subscribers and 18 million YouTube followers.
Last month, fans of Saturday Night Live were up in arms over a sketch they say sought to save face for Kamala Harris after her ‘disastrous’ interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier.
The skit saw a recently cleared Alec Baldwin assume the role of Baier in a surprise appearance.
The cold open contained several instances of Baldwin’s Baier interrupting Rudolph, painting the personality’s line of questioning as combative.
Multiple onlookers online, however, remained unconvinced, claiming the display was a lame attempt at eliciting a more favorable judgment in the court of public opinion.
Fans of Saturday Night Live are up in arms over a sketch that say sought to save face for Kamala Harris
‘Well, Kamala is collapsing in the polls so a desperate @nbcsnl brought out its big “guns,”‘ wrote one such user on X.
‘Yes, that was @AlecBaldwin playing the Fox News journalist! Too soon?’ they then asked, referencing the regular host’s recently wrapped manslaughter case.
Earlier Saturday, Harris campaign advisors came back mid-flight after her rally in North Carolina to inform the press pool that she would be stopping in New York on the way to Detroit, Michgian.
Aides initially did not respond directly to questions about what she will be doing in NYC.
But the Harris motorcade pulled up to the Rockefeller Center just before 8 p.m., where SNL is famously taped.
Harris still plans to head to Detroit after the surprise SNL diversion where she has a morning rally on Sunday.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are spending their final weekend on the campaign trail with just three days before what could be one of the closest elections in history.
More than 70 millions of Americans have already cast their ballots, but the candidates are still pushing to persuade the final critical voters who could take them to victory.
Harris is likely to come face-to-face with SNL veteran cast member Maya Rudolph , who was specifically cast to play the vice president after Joe Biden dropped out of the race
DailyMail.com's polling partners J.L. Partners show Harris has the momentum going into sprint before November 5, with the race trending into tossup territory.
Both held rallies earlier Saturday in the critical swing state of North Carolina where the polls have the race deadlocked.
Trump also took the stage in Virginia, where he is trailing in the polls.
He has another rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, this evening.