Presidential politics made its presence felt from the word go at the Emmys.
Former GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush had a cameo in host Jimmy Kimmel's opening comedy segment. And during his monologue, Kimmel referenced Trump, specifically pointing out the man in the audience who made him a television star.
"Thanks to Mark Burnett, we don't have to watch reality shows anymore, because we're living them," Kimmel said.
Burnett cast Trump in "The Apprentice", the hit series that gave him a larger public profile.
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Bush also made the opening sketch - as the limo driver for Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
"Did you know you can make USD 12 an hour driving for Uber?" he asked Kimmel.
Bush asked Kimmel if he was a nominee, and when Kimmel said yes, Bush said, "Wow, what's that like?"
Louis-Dreyfus, who won of the Emmy Award for best comedy actress for her role as US president Selina Meyer in "Veep", apologised for what she called "the current political climate."
"I think that 'Veep' has torn down the wall between comedy and politics. Our show started out as a political satire but it now feels like a sobering documentary," she said while accepting her award.
"Transparent" creator Jill Soloway compared Trump to Adolf Hitler during the awards ceremony, which was filled with references to the US election.
Soloway said Trump is "one of the most dangerous monsters," while speaking to reporters backstage at the Emmys after winning the best director prize.
"Any moment that I have to call Trump out for being an heir to Hitler, I will."
Soloway said that Trump, like Hitler, has "otherized" people to gain political power, including, disabled people, Muslims, Mexican-Americans and women who don't "look like beauty pageant contestants.