MIDTOWN MANHATTAN — The jokes were flying at the 79th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a tradition that during presidential election years is usually a night where both candidates put aside their rancor and engage in light-hearted banter in a spirit of bipartisanship.
However, while both presidential candidates delivered remarks at this year’s dinner on Oct. 17 at the New York Hilton Midtown, only one of them was there in person.
Former President Donald Trump, this year’s Republican nominee, was the evening’s featured speaker. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, opted not to attend and instead sent a pre-recorded video greeting to attendees of the black-tie affair.
Harris’ absence marked the first time a presidential nominee did not show up for the Al Smith Dinner since Democrat Walter Mondale in 1984 — a fact that Trump joked about in his remarks.
“The last person not to attend this event was Walter Mondale, and it did not go very well for him,” Trump said to laughter from the audience. Mondale, the Democratic nominee in 1984, lost the election in a landslide to Republican Ronald Reagan. “He lost 49 states and won one, Minnesota,” he added.
In her video, which was played just before Trump took the podium, Harris took “advice” from Mary Catherine Gallagher, a Saturday Night Live character from the 1990s. The fictional Catholic schoolgirl, played by actress Molly Shannon, warned her not to say anything negative about Catholics.
“I would never do that no matter where I was. That would be like criticizing Detroit in Detroit,” Harris said in a reference to recent remarks Trump made in Detroit in which he noted the Motor City’s struggles to emerge from bankruptcy and warned that the rest of the country could wind up in a similar situation.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York presided over the gala, a sold-out affair that drew 1,500 people, including Mayor Eric Adams, Senator Charles Schumer, and numerous luminaries from the worlds of politics, media, and sports. Trump attended with his wife, Melania, who is Catholic.
Bishop Robert Brennan, who was among the guests seated on a dais, said he was looking forward to the evening.
“It’s a great custom. It’s always nice to see so many people who are involved in so many areas of city life, so many areas of business and politics, and government,” Bishop Brennan said. “And it’s meant to be a relaxing night, a little bit of fun, and yet remind us of who we are as Americans — that we participate in this great political process where we debate, we share ideas, and make informed decisions.”
Comedian Jim Gaffigan, a Catholic, performed the hosting duties.
“Good evening, rich people!” he said. “I’ve got to be honest. I feel like I’m at a casting call for Daddy Warbucks, and I’m not going to get the job,” he said to the audience at the $5,000-a-plate dinner. Gaffigan was referring to Daddy Warbucks, the millionaire from the “Little Orphan Annie” cartoons from the 1930s.
The gala dinner serves as a major fundraiser for the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, an organization founded in 1946 to honor the memory of Alfred E. Smith, the Democratic governor of New York in the 1920s who, in 1928, was the first Catholic to be nominated by a major political party for president.
The foundation provides financial support for non-profits in the Archdiocese of New York that help the underprivileged and children. It was announced at the dinner that the evening raised close to $10 million. Gaffigan repeatedly joked that former mayor Mike Bloomberg, a billionaire sitting on the dais, should chip in to put the foundation over the $10 million mark.
While Trump and Harris have sharply disagreed on the campaign trail, there was one area in which they agreed — the good work done by the Catholic Church.
“You do something incredible,” Trump said. “The Catholic Church helps the poor, educating children, and supporting the vulnerable.”
“The Al Smith dinner provides a rare opportunity to set aside partisanship and come together to do some good by supporting the tremendous charitable work of the Catholic Church,” Harris said.
In a lighthearted moment, Cardinal Dolan sought to strike a bipartisan note.
“Can you imagine sitting here with (Democratic Senator) Chuck Schumer on my right and Donald Trump on my left?” he joked. “That is a rare occurrence!”
In the midst of an evening meant to be light hearted, comedic and generous, Donald Trump appeared unable to resist his familiar inclination to pointed and dark humor that degrades, even threatens those he considers ‘the enemy within’. Trust his scarcely veiled dynamic was not unnoticed.
Joseph da Silva
I can only imagine Gov. Al Smith turning in his grave. I applaud VP Harris for not being there. To pretend to enjoy an evening with the mean-spirited, nasty, lying, former president, is not who she is.
Cardinal Dolan, an ultimate politician looked much too comfortable sitting next to Trump, the handmaid of the devil, twice impeached former president, convicted felon, female abuser, racist, and a treasonist destroyer of democracy. Trump’s comments were not in jest but slanderous and disgraceful and, and, and, the Cardinal just sat there.
Trump’s “wife” Melania wrote a best seller? Perhaps the RNC purchased all the copies and sold them at the felon’s rallies at increased price along with his ghastly image tee shirts, gold sneakers, image coins and flip cards and this is a candidate for President!!!!!!!!
They only raised 10 million?……with all the money in that room, the result should have been many times that. Many of the guests looked bored and disgusted. AL SMITH WAS TURNING OVER IN HIS GRAVE.