On an evening filled with zingers, what some commentators saw as a subtle criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris closed Thursday night’s Al Smith Dinner in New York City.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan closed the event with a prayer that thanked former President Donald Trump and his wife, former first lady Melania Trump, for attending, but made no mention of Harris, who sent a video to the dinner.
Hopefully, someone with reach catches this:
But Cardinal Dolan did not thank or mention VP Harris in his prayer at the end of the eventCC: @JackPosobiec @CollinRugg @Cernovich @alx @amuse pic.twitter.com/AAVZlXDGfO
— Russell (@RussellM__) October 18, 2024
Dolan had expressed disappointment that Harris did not attend the dinner, which raises funds for Catholic charities in the New York City region, according to the New York Post.
He noted in one interview that he was amazed Harris did not attend.
“I really thought, and I tried to press this, Jim, with their people. This is literally up her alley,” Dolan said. “I mean, here you got somebody talking about, ‘Oh, can’t we bring amity and unity?’”
🚨Watch Cardinal Dolan’s reaction to Kamala Harris refusing to attend the Al Smith dinner and how Chuck Schumer is claiming it wasn’t even Kamala’s decision — it was her staff’s:
“We’re not used to this, we don’t know how to handle it. This hasn’t happened in 40 years since… https://t.co/yNPE62jrl0 pic.twitter.com/oAKnx30ZTa
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) September 24, 2024
Should Harris have attended the dinner?
When Trump spoke, he offered his own reason why Harris turned down the charity event, which had not been skipped by a presidential candidate since Democratic Sen. Walter Mondale did so in 1984.
“I guess you should have told her the funds were going to bail out the looters and rioters in Minneapolis, and she would have been here guaranteed,” Trump said.
Trump said Harris was “receiving Communion from Gretchen Whitmer,” referring to a video in which Whitmer fed a Dorito to a podcaster who took it on her knees. The video infuriated many Catholics.
Trump also called Harris “disrespectful to Catholics.”
During his speech, Trump joked, “There’s a group called ‘White Dudes for Harris,’ but I’m not worried about them. Their wives and their wives’ lovers are voting for me.”
Trump fired off one-liners about Harris and President Joe Biden, according to CNN.
“Right now, 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. There’s a person that has nothing going. No intelligence whatsoever,” Trump said.
Then came the punch line: “But enough about Kamala Harris.”
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota came in for a dig, as well, according to the U.K.’s Independent.
“Unfortunately, Gov. Walz isn’t here himself but don’t worry, he’ll say that he was,” Trump said, referring to inaccuracies that have been exposed since Walz was picked as Harris’s running mate.
“But I must say, I was shocked when I heard that Kamala was skipping the Al Smith dinner,” Trump said. “I’d really hoped that she would come, because we can’t get enough of hearing her beautiful laugh. She laughs like crazy. We would recognize it any place in this room.”
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