Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, during a Catholic charity banquet on Thursday, targeted prominent Democrats with off-color remarks. He mispronounced Vice President Kamala Harris’s name, claiming she had “no intelligence whatsoever,” and mocked her husband, Doug Emhoff, for a past affair he had acknowledged.
Trump’s Controversial Speech :
During his speech, Trump questioned the manhood of Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), while also belittling transgender people. He emphasized former president Barack Obama’s middle name, Hussein, and used profanity to disparage former New York mayor Bill De Blasio. The only person Trump spared from criticism was himself, joking, “Tradition holds that I’m supposed to tell a few self-deprecating jokes this evening. So here it goes. … Nope. I’ve got nothing. I’ve got nothing. There’s nothing to say.”
At the Al Smith Dinner, a prestigious white-tie event benefiting Catholic charities, Donald remarks received a mixed reaction of applause and boos. He estimated the room was evenly split between supporters and critics. During his speech, someone in the audience corrected his mispronunciation of Vice President Kamala Harris’s name.
The dinner has traditionally included light-hearted banter between presidential nominees after the third debate, often marking their final joint appearance before the election. However, this year, Trump declined another debate with Harris following their initial face-off on September 10. Harris did not attend the event, opting to campaign in Wisconsin and appear at the banquet via a prerecorded video. The three-minute clip featured comedian Molly Shannon reprising her iconic “Saturday Night Live” character, Mary Katherine Gallagher.
“It’s time for a woman, bro,” Shannon shouted, advising Harris, “Don’t lie.” Harris responded, “Especially thy neighbor’s election results,” referencing Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential vote. Shannon also urged Harris not to insult Catholics, to which Harris replied she never would, adding, “That would be like criticizing Detroit in Detroit,” a jab at Trump’s recent speech there.
Trump accused Harris of disrespecting Catholics by missing the dinner, receiving some applause. He noted that the last time a Republican nominee attended the dinner unopposed was in 1984 when Ronald Reagan won 49 states. Disparaging both President Joe Biden and Harris, Trump said, “We have someone in the White House who can barely talk, barely put together two coherent sentences, who seems to have the mental faculties of a child. … But enough about Kamala Harris.”
Trump found an unexpected ally in the city’s indicted mayor, Eric Adams, drawing parallels between their legal troubles and suggesting they were both targeted for criticizing the Biden administration. “Mayor Adams, good luck with everything,” Trump remarked. Adams faces federal charges of bribery and campaign finance violations, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Trump, meanwhile, is dealing with four separate criminal indictments, with no evidence of White House involvement in any of the cases. He was convicted in May for falsifying business records related to a hush money scheme before the 2016 election. The special counsel is appealing a dismissal of charges for mishandling classified documents, with sentencing scheduled post-election. Two cases involving his interference in the 2020 election are also delayed until after the election. As Trump took the stage, he was met with a mix of applause and boos, accompanied by former first lady Melania Trump in a rare public appearance by his side.
In 2016, Trump and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended the dinner, where Trump faced boos and heckling after calling Clinton “corrupt” and accusing her of “pretending not to hate Catholics.” Reflecting on that speech Thursday night, Trump remarked, “Man, was the room angry!”
Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for the Harris campaign, stated that Trump “struggled to read scripted notes written by his handlers, repeatedly complaining that he couldn’t use a teleprompter. The rare moments he was off script, he went on long incomprehensible rambles, reminding Americans how unstable he’s become.”
The dinner, first held in 1946, is named after Smith, a four-time governor of New York and the first Catholic to win a major party’s nomination for president. In 2020, Trump and Joe Biden attended the dinner virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That event had a more serious tone as the candidates made their pitch. Biden, who won that November, is the nation’s second Catholic president.
Trump’s appearance at the Al Smith dinner served as a nostalgic reminder of his days among New York’s elite as a real estate developer. During his speech, he fondly recalled attending the dinner with his father before his presidential run and mentioned giving a check to Schumer, saying, “I gave him his first check … and I was very proud of it, I don’t know about lately,” to laughs. Jim Gaffigan, known for his portrayal of Gov. Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live, emceed the event.
The dinner featured a diverse group of attendees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife Cheryl Hines, House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), football owners, former New York athletes, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and many others. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the civil fraud case against Trump, was also present.
