Harris opens SNL, urges US to 'keep Calm-ala'

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris appeared on the Saturday Night Live TV comedy show, adding a surprise jolt to the US presidential election just three days before her showdown with Republican Donald Trump.

Ms Harris portrayed herself, appearing in a mirror opposite the actor who plays her on the show, Maya Rudolph, who was nervously preparing for a campaign speech. Dressed identically in a black suit and pearls, the two traded variations on Ms Harris' first name, saying Americans want to "end the drama-la" in politics "with a cool new stepmom-ala".

"Keep Calm-ala and carry on-ala," they said in unison.

"I don't really laugh like that, do I?" Ms Harris asked, after Ms Rudolph imitated her distinctive chortle.

"A little bit," Ms Rudolph responded.

Ms Harris was making her first appearance on the show, which has had other presidential candidates over its decades-long run.

"It was fun," she told reporters on the tarmac before flying to Detroit in the battleground state of Michigan.

Mr Trump appeared on SNL during his first presidential bid in 2015, where he poked fun at his tendency to exaggerate and steer clear of policy specifics. He also appeared in 2004. A Trump aide said last night that he did not know whether he had been invited to appear this year.

Earlier, Ms Harris' and Mr Trump's planes shared the tarmac in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the two candidates held duelling events in the southern state, one of a handful that will determine the outcome of Tuesday's election. It was the fourth day in a row that the candidates campaigned in the same state.

Only seven states are seen as truly competitive, but a poll released last night showed Ms Harris holding a surprise lead in Iowa, a state Mr Trump won easily in the last two elections.

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