Kamala Harris appears on Saturday Night Live

Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on the live comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live (SNL) alongside comedian and actress Maya Rudolph.

The audience's cheers drowned out the first lines of the Democratic US presidential candidate.

The pair engaged in written exchanges with puns on Harris' first name, Kamala, including “Keep Calm-Ala” and “Carry On-Ala.”

Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Republican candidate Donald Trump, expressed surprise that Harris would appear on SNL because he said her portrayal on the show was unflattering.

Asked whether Trump had been invited to appear on the show, Miller said: “I don't know, probably not,” according to the BBC's US affiliate CBS News.

During the skit, which lasted about two minutes, Ms. Rudolph performed a mirror image double of Harris.

“It’s good to see you, Kamala,” Harris said to Ms. Rudolph. “And I’m just here to remind you that you get that.”

In unison, the duo said they shared a “belief in the promise of America” and together announced “live from New York; It’s Saturday evening.”

Harris also scoffed a current stunt by her election opponent Trump, in which he appeared to have difficulty opening the door of a garbage truck.

“You can do something your opponent can’t do,” Harris told Rudolph. “You can open doors.”

Trump's garbage truck stunt was in response to comments from President Biden in which he appeared to call Trump supporters “trash,” although the White House has denied that was Biden's intention.

Several other presidential candidates, including Trump, have appeared on the agenda in previous campaigns.

Trump's appearance came in 2015 when he hosted the show.

However, it is unusual for the program to be broadcast so close to election day.

Brendan Carr, a Republican member of the five-member board of the media regulator Federal Communications Commission, called the move “a clear and blatant attempt to evade the concurrent rule.”

“Federal policy requires U.S. broadcasters to treat political candidates equally in terms of airtime, and Mr. Carr wrote for a candidate on the eve of an election.”

When asked about the surprise appearance on Fox News, Trump's son Eric said that the mainstream media had been against his father “from day one.”

“I mean, just nobody, nobody trusts most of these mainstream channels,” he said. “I’m not sure the Saturday Night Live stuff will ultimately matter. I think it’s because of my dad’s work ethic.” [is] will be important.

Harris briefly withdrew from her campaign in the battleground states to make a surprise trip to New York for the broadcast on Saturday.

She arrived at LaGuardia Airport on Air Force Two after campaigning in Charlotte, North Carolina, earlier in the evening.

Harris was scheduled to fly to Detroit, but aides said she would make an unscheduled stop once she was in the air.

Their appearance was not announced beforehand and was only officially confirmed shortly before the start.

Polls show the two presidential candidates are involved in a close race in seven key swing states.

Both Harris and Trump are preparing a lightning attack on these battleground states in the final days of the campaign.