From Trump to Clinton, a history of politicians stopping by SNL

Donald Trump's unorthodox campaign for president willtake another unusual step this weekend when he takes a break fromtypical campaigning to host Saturday Night Live.

The appearance will put the billionaire businessman and realityTV star in rare company: Only eight politicianshavehosted Saturday Night Livein its entire 40-yearhistory.

• Donald Trump's Saturday Night Live guest host gig sparks growing protest
• Hillary Clinton makes cameo in Saturday Night Live skit

Only one politician-slash-guest hostwas an activepresidential candidate the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was seeking theDemocratic nomination when he hosted in December 2003.

The appearance is the latest example of how Trump who firstguest hosted SNLin 2004 just weeks after the show he helpedcreate, NBC's The Apprentice,began airing has been able tocapitalize on his celebrity throughout his campaign, which hastranslated into record ratings for networks on each of the threeRepublican debates.

In the lead up to the show, many advocacy groups have pressuredNBC to cancel Donald Trump's guest-host appearance. Earlier this week, there wereprotestsin front of the network's New York studios and one of the groups deliveredpetitions Wednesday calling for Trumpto be dropped from the show.

Otherpoliticians to guest host SNL include:

• U.S. Rep. Julian Bond inApril 1977
• NewYork Mayor Ed Koch inMay 1983
• Former Sen. George McGoverninApril 1984, a month afterhe had withdrawn from a presidential run
• Civil rights leader JesseJacksonin October 1984, after a failed bid to be the 1984Democratic nominee
• Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giulianiin November 1997
• Sen. John McCaininOctober 2002
• Former Vice-President and Democratic presidential candidate AlGore in December 2002

Cameos are a different story

Despite only having eight politicians host in its40-yearhistory, SNL has been ripe with political cameo appearances.

President Gerald Ford was the first to swing by the show, appearing in April1976 as he was seeking re-election. More recent memorableappearances include:

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 2015

Coming off a summer dominated by questions over her use of aprivate email server, Clinton took a starring turn as bartender"Val" in an October appearance.

In the skit, Clinton offered asympathetic ear to Kate McKinnon's Clinton impersonation whilepoking fun at her late opposition to the Keystone pipeline andsupport of same-sex marriage.

John McCain, 2008

On the eve of the 2008 presidential election, then-Republicannominee John McCain appeared alongside Palin, played by Fey, in asketchmocking their campaign's financial disadvantage againstthen-Sen. Barack Obama. In the sketch,thepair hawked commemorative plates, action figures and jewelryon the shopping channel QVC.

SarahPalin, 2008

Then-vice-presidential candidate SarahPalin, lampoonedhilariously by Tina Fey, got some revenge when she made anappearance on the show.

In her sketch, realPalinappeared beside fakePalinat a mock press conference and was complimented on her looksby Fey's 30 Rockco-star Alec Baldwin.

Barack Obama, 2007

Obama appeared on the show in 2007 in a sketchdepicting HillaryClinton's Halloween party featuring the then-Democraticcandidates.

Toward the end, a man walked in wearing an Obama mask,which he removed to reveal it was really Obama. "I have nothing tohide," he told Clinton. "I enjoy being myself. I'm not going tochange who I am just because it's Halloween."

Rudolph Giuliani, 2001

Besides his hosting engagement, Giuliani made numerousappearances on the show. But the most memorable came in the daysafter the Sept. 11attacks when he appeared alongside firstresponders and delivered a message of hope and resolve.

The openingended with Lorne Michaels asking the mayor for permission to befunny, to which he responded, "Why start now?"