Former President Donald Trump was the sole-featured speaker at the 79th annual Al Smith charity dinner in New York after Vice President Kamala Harris declined an invitation to speak choosing instead to continue on the campaign stump in Wisconsin.
Trump repeatedly referenced Harris’s absence at the white-tie bipartisan dinner, his third time speaking at the event. Comedian Jim Gaffigan emceed the event and has recently played Harris’s running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), on Saturday Night Live while Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, hosted the event.
Harris did however pre-record a video that was aired during the dinner, named in honor of former Democratic New York governor Alfred E. Smith. (Smith was also the first Catholic to be nominated for president by a major political party.)
Harris was booed when her absence was first mentioned during the event. The dinner is normally the last event before the election where the two major-party candidates share the same stage.
Trump was joined at the event by former first lady Melania Trump, who has been normally absent from public appearances with the former president. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, current New York Mayor Eric Adams, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and New York Attorney General Letitia James were also in attendance.
The dinner benefits Catholic charities and is normally seen as a collegial tradition but Harris broke that norm this year as she hopes to mobilize voters less than three weeks until the election.
Trump also sat down for an interview with EWTN, which claims to be the world’s largest Catholic media organization.
Here are some of the biggest zingers of the night.
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Trump teases Eric Adams over indictments
From the very beginning of his speech, Trump landed jokes on Adams, who is facing a five-count indictment including bribery and fraud.
“Mayor Adams, good luck with everything,” Trump said drawing laughs. “They went after you Mayor. Boy, I knew that. Nine and a half months ago, I said … he’s going to be indicted any moment, and guess what happened?”
He then predicted that Adams would beat the charges.
“You’re going to win, I think you’re going to win. I know you’re going to win. So good luck,” Trump added.
The former president also teased Adams that he understands what it’s like to face multiple indictments.
“And these days, it’s really a pleasure [to be] anywhere in New York without a subpoena for my appearance,” said Trump. “Any time I don’t get a subpoena, I’m very happy. They’ve gone after me, Mr. Mayor. And your peanuts compared to what they’ve done to me.”
Trump says Harris is missing event for ‘communion’ with Whitmer
Trump made sure to repeatedly attack Harris for snubbing the charity dinner, calling it “very disrespectful.”
But he did find the humor in Harris’s absence.
“I really wanted Vice President Harris to accept your invitation, I guess you should have told her the funds were going to bail out the looters and riders in Minneapolis, and she would have been here guaranteed,” Trump said referencing the Black Lives Matter protest of 2020.
“But I don’t think Kamala has given up yet. She hasn’t. Instead of attending tonight, she’s in Michigan receiving Communion from Gretchen Whitmer,” Trump also said referring to a controversial video of Whitmer feeding a kneeling Liz Plank Doritos in a manner reminiscent of the Catholic practice of Eucharist.
“The last Democrat not to attend this important event was Walter Mondale, and it did not go very well for him. He lost 49 states and he won one: Minnesota. So I said, There’s no way I’m missing it,” said Trump. “He was expected to do well, and it didn’t work out. It shows you there is a God.”
Trump’s woke joke towards Schumer
Harris wasn’t the only Democrat Trump took shots at.
He also went after Schumer, a fellow New Yorker, for the Democratic Party’s “woke” ideology.
“The press is reporting the Democrats are starting to panic,” Trump said. “Chuck Schumer is here looking very glum.”
“But look on the bright side, Chuck, considering how woke your party has become, if Kamala loses, you still have a chance to become the first woman president,” Trump said.
Trump knocks Walz over his misstatements
The former president also had room to make jokes at Harris’s running mate Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN).
“Most recently, Jim has been playing Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live, and that’ll be a very short gig,” Trump said referencing Gaffigan.
“Let’s see how that lasts. It better be quick,” Trump added. “We don’t want him, and I’m not going to say anymore, but unfortunately, Gov. Walz is in here himself. But don’t worry, he’ll say that he was.”
“I used to think the Democrats were crazy for saying that men have periods. But then I met Tim Walz,” Trump went on.
Trump was poking fun at several instances where Walz said he was a “knucklehead” after reports showed that he didn’t visit China’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Trump doesn’t make a self-deprecating joke
Despite his successful jokes against Democrats, Trump declined to make fun of himself.
“I’m supposed to tell a few self-deprecating jokes this evening. So here it goes: Nope, I’ve got nothing. There’s nothing to say,” said Trump.
“I guess I just don’t see the point of taking shots at myself when other people have been shooting at me for a hell of a long time,” he continued.
Trump makes a nanny joke at Doug Emhoff’s expense
The former president also made sure to include some jokes referencing second gentleman Doug Emhoff impregnating his nanny while married to his first wife before Harris.
“A major issue in this race is child care, and Kamala has put forward a concept of a plan. A lot of people don’t like it,” Trump started. “The only piece of advice I would have for her in the event that she wins would be not to let her husband, Doug, anywhere near the nannies. Just keep them away.”
“I hear that Kamala and her husband carve out some really beautiful alone time at the end of the day,” Trump began in another second taking on Emhoff. “Just Doug, her, and the teleprompter that she uses quite well. And by the way, she wouldn’t have liked this tonight if she was told about no teleprompter.”
Harris dings Trump’s Detroit comments
The pre-recorded Harris video featured the actress Molly Shannon, in a reprisal of her “Saturday Night Live” character Mary Katherine Gallagher.
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Shannon joked that Jesus would fact-check the dinner and warned Harris not to make fun of Catholics.
“I would never do that no matter where I was,” Harris responded, before taking a shot at Trump’s comments criticizing the Motor City last week. “That would be like criticizing Detroit in Detroit.”
