US election 2024: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, neck and neck in frenzied final campaign weekend

A surprise appearance by Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live had viewers cackling as Donald Trump made claims he will achieve the “greatest political victory”. Follow live updates.

Welcome to our US election blog — Kamala Harris has made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live where the presidential hopeful gave herself a pep talk days before the US election.

Three days before the election, the candidates followed each other from Wisconsin to North Carolina, only for Mr Trump to surge into the Democratic stronghold of Virginia while the Vice President diverted to New York for a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live.

Appearing with Maya Rudolph, who portrays Ms Harris on the hit late-night show, the Vice President said to her comedic alter ego: “I don’t really laugh like that, do I?”

She also took a dig at Mr Trump’s stumble when he climbed into a garbage truck this week, saying to Rudolph: “You can do something your opponent cannot do – you can open doors.”

The presidential hopeful appeared alongside actress Maya Rudolph, who reprised her role impersonating Kamala Harris. Picture: AFP

Kamala Harris appeared with Maya Rudolph in a comedic appearance on Saturday Night Live. Picture: AFP

The comedian vowed to vote for her to “end the drama-la” as Ms Harris joked that they would “keep Kamala and carry on-ala”.

On the campaign trail, Mr Trump ramped up his allegations of electoral fraud, even claiming that he would win California “if God came down and agreed to be our vote-taker”.

It comes as Donald Trump boasted that he will win the popular vote, which no Republican has done for 20 years, even as a stunning poll put Kamala Harris ahead in a state considered to be a lock for the former president.

The Republican ramped up his baseless allegations of electoral fraud, even claiming that he would win California “if God came down and agreed to be our vote-taker”.

“The polls are showing we’re going to win everything. We’re going to win the popular vote,” Mr Trump said, in what he vowed would be the “greatest political victory in the history of this country, probably in the history of the world”.

Other key moments in the campaign today include:

* US President Joe Biden said Mr Trump was the sort of guy “you like to smack in the ass”, after revelations that Mr Trump had to be talked out of calling the President a “retard”.

* Mr Trump has struggled with microphone issues at multiple rallies, making a lewd gesture in Milwaukee with the mic stand when it failed, then threatened to “knock the hell out of people backstage”.

* Mr Trump has ripped a “ridiculous” pro-Harris ad encouraging wives to keep their anti-Trump votes a secret from their husbands.

* Ms Harris plans to vote by mail, her husband Doug Emhoff has already done so.

* The National Guard is on standby in multiple states amid fears of civil unrest.

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THE SHOWDOWN: Pollster declares Trump ‘on the verge’ of victory

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Originally published as US election 2024: Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, neck and neck in frenzied final campaign weekend