Vice President Kamala Harris chose to skip out on the bipartisan dinner event in New York but her absence became fodder for roasts from the podium.
Former President Donald Trump was not the only one to take a shot at the Democratic presidential nominee, jabbing her for not attending the Al Smith Dinner which included former First Lady Melania Trump, and a boatload of Trump’s fiercest critics including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
But before Trump took to the microphone, comedian and actor Jim Gaffigan kicked off the night with his dig at Harris, who sent a video message.
“You know, this event has been referred to as the Catholic Met Gala. Twenty-two percent of Americans identify as Catholic. Catholics will be a key demographic in every battleground state,” he said before pivoting.
(Video Credit: Fox News)
“I’m sorry, why is Vice President Harris not here?” he asked, as the audience applauded after a moment of hesitation.
“I mean, consider this,” he continued. “This is a room full of Catholics and Jews in New York City. This is a layup for the Democratic nominee.”
He went on to roast the vice president, who claimed her campaign schedule prevented her from attending, for making the time to personally appear on several platforms, including a sexually-focused podcast, and other lightweight entertainment venues.
“In her defense, I mean she did find time to appear on The View, Howard Stern, Colbert, and the longtime staple of campaigning, the Call Her Daddy podcast,” Gaffigan said.
“You know what I think it is? I think she doesn’t like me. Chuck, do I have bad breath?” he asked Schumer who shook his head and said, “Nope.”
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, said he was “disappointed” that Harris chose not to attend.
“It’s not a campaign speech. It’s not a stump speech,” he said. “Now, some candidates might use it for that, but that’s not the nature or purpose of the evening, either. You know, Ronald Reagan’s line [was] the Al Smith dinner is the rare time where politicians act like statesmen.”
“The Al Smith dinner is not red or blue. It’s red, white and blue. It’s all about patriotism, it’s all about the country and it’s all about humor,” Dolan added.
Trump later took a shot at his Democrat rival.
“If you 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 rioters in Minneapolis, and she would have been here, guaranteed. She would have been guaranteed,” Trump quipped.
NEW: Trump jokes that Kamala Harris would have shown up to the Al Smith dinner if the money was going out to bail out criminals.
Brutal. pic.twitter.com/aDRVDq7WbP
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 18, 2024
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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