Today In History: Gerald Ford Cameos On Saturday Night Live; Staten Islanders Are Trump's 'People'

April 17, 2017, is the 107th day of the year, with 258 days remaining. The moon is in a waning gibbous phase, and illumination is at 68 percent.

Donald Trump campaigns on Staten Island

It’s a Sunday in 2016. With the New York primary just two days out, GOP presidential frontrunner Donald J. Trump found himself on the other side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York’s self-proclaimed “forgotten borough” — Staten Island.

It was on this day that Trump received the endorsement of the New York Veteran Police Association before speaking to a Lincoln Day brunch hosted by the borough’s Island Republican Party.

“These are his people,” said John Antoniello, chairman of the GOP group. “Staten Island is a real base of support for him.”

Trump’s appearance in Staten Island came at the tail end of his campaigning in New York City. He was born in Queens, but a Midtown skyscraper — its image synonymous with quintessential Manhattan glitz and glamour — is where the 45th president of the United States called home before his transition to the White House in January 2017. But Trump’s Staten Island supporters felt the reality show businessman related to their neighborhood.

“Mr. Trump says what he means and means what he says,” said Mildred Amatrudo, a local administrative assistant. “He’s not a phony. We have different values than the rest of the city; they don’t understand us or care about us. They’re a different city.”

Gerald Ford appears on “Saturday Night Live”

From Barack Obama to Donald Trump, presidential candidates and presidents alike have graced the “Saturday Night Live” stage to try out for the role of entertainer-in-chief. But 40 years ago in 1976, it was Gerald Ford — the 38th president of the United States following Richard Nixon’s resignation — who ushered in this environment.

Ford’s press secretary, Ron Nessen, guest-hosted the episode, but audiences got more than just a press secretary that evening; appearing on television screens across the nation, Ford uttered that singularly famous line: “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

In one sketch, Nessen played himself, opposite Chevy Chase’s impersonation of Ford, and explained his rationale for hosting.

“And that’s why I want to host this show,” the press secretary said, “to demonstrate that this administration has a sense of humor.”

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Photo credit: University of Michigan