Vice President Kamala Harris’ cameo on NBC’s Saturday Night Live triggered the government’s “equal time” provision, a long-standing broadcast rule former President Donald Trump capitalised, CNN reports.

“Hello to our great sports fans,” Trump said at the beginning of an unusual 60-second video played during Nascar postrace coverage on many NBC stations. Trump, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, urged viewers to vote.

Almost as soon as Harris was confirmed Saturday to appear on SNL, Trump allies raised questions about the Federal Communications Commission’s “equal time” rule. Brendan Carr, a Republican who was appointed to the commission by Trump in 2017, wrote on X “this is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule.”

The government’s rule tries to ensure if one political candidate gains airtime on a broadcast station, then the candidate’s opponents can request an equal opportunity. News programs are exempt, but entertainment programs like SNL are not.