Donald Trump accuses Kamala Harris of copying his routine on 'SNL', claims she 'uses everything I do'
READING, PENNSYLVANIA: Donald Trump accused Vice President Kamala Harris of “copying” his act after her recent appearance on 'Saturday Night Live.'
At a rally in Reading, Pennsylvania, the former president expressed frustration, alleging that Harris “copied my routine” during her 'SNL' sketch which aired two days prior.
Parallels between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s 'SNL' appearances
Speaking about Kamala Harris' 'SNL' appearance, Donald Trump said, “She uses everything I do. She uses … even ‘Saturday Night Live,’ they copied.”
“They copied. Think of that. … ‘Oh, she was great.’ … They copied my routine,” he said at the rally.
The 78-year-old politician went on to reference his 2015 comedy sketch on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', where he performed a similar act involving a mirror and a comedian impersonating him.
In Harris’ 'SNL' segment, she shared a humorous interaction with comedian Maya Rudolph who impersonated her.
The sketch had the two “Harrises" talking to each other through a mirror, a concept that echoed Trump’s 2015 appearance on 'The Tonight Show' in which he conversed with Jimmy Fallon dressed as Trump in front of a mirror.
During her debut on 'SNL', Harris’ character delivered a playful dig, saying, “I’m just here to remind you, you got this, because you can do something your opponent can’t do — you can open doors.”
This seemed to refer to a recent video showing Trump struggling with the door of a garbage truck at his rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on October 30.
FCC Commissioner raises concerns over equal time rule
Following Kamala Harris' 'SNL' appearance, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Donald Trump appointee, questioned whether the appearance violated the equal time rule which mandates that rival candidates receive equivalent airtime.
In a post on X, Carr criticized NBC’s decision to broadcast Harris’ appearance, calling it “a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule.”
He stated that the rule exists to “avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct” by broadcasters and suggested that unless other candidates were offered similar airtime, 'SNL’s segment with Harris was problematic.
This is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC's Equal Time rule.
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) November 3, 2024
The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct - a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election.… https://t.co/LliZF0po9t
In response to the Trump campaign’s request for equal time, NBC aired a video message from Trump during a NASCAR broadcast on Sunday night, November 3, fulfilling its regulatory obligations.
This move allowed NBC to balance airtime following Harris’ 'SNL' sketch and to comply with the FCC’s requirements for fair access during an election season, according to The Hill.
